The Secret of Harry Potter
by czarinabattymoon
Summary: Hari Potter was a quiet girl, though everyone seemed to intentionally forget the 'girl' part. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called her 'boy' all the time, and Dudley too. All it seemed to take was baggy clothes, and none of the neighbors noticed. What if people continued to 'not notice? What if the castle of Hogwarts went along with it? How long could it continue?
1. Chapter 1

The idea

* * *

Hari Potter was a quiet girl, though everyone seemed to intentionally forget the 'girl' part. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called her 'boy' all the time, and Dudley too. All it seemed to take was baggy clothes, and none of the neighbors noticed. What if people continued to 'not notice'? What if the castle of Hogwarts went along with it? Hari Potter grew up as Harry Potter, and no one noticed. What happens when she wants someone to notice?

I have an idea for each house, but suggestions are welcome. Gryffindor or Slytherin? Who do you think her future crush will be? What will her friends think about this? And how will this all affect the end game? I have this rated M because I do that with all my stories. Probably just going to be violence and whatnot. The wizarding world does seem pretty violent, and awesome, but violent.

* * *

Disclaimer will be said only here, because really if I have to repeat it something's wrong.

I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter 1

She couldn't believe it. All the weird things that kept happening to her, and Uncle Vernon kept insisting that it was nothing. How could it be nothing? She spoke to that snake at the zoo! She knows she isn't wrong, but then again, that wasn't likely to really matter much.

Hari Potter was a quiet girl, though everyone seemed to intentionally forget the 'girl' part. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called her 'boy' all the time, and Dudley too. All it seemed to take was baggy clothes, and none of the neighbors noticed. She hadn't even turned eleven yet, so there was nothing to really show that she wasn't, well except for a lack of a certain body part. There was no way she was going to drop her clothes to prove that bit.

Thank goodness for biology class, because otherwise she would have had no idea what kind of hell waited for her when puberty showed up. She'd asked Aunt Petunia about it once, but the woman had gone pink with embarrassment, and told her to go to her cupboard. After that, she only asked the librarian for help on biology books, it was just safer. She wondered idly if people were still going to think she was a boy once things started to develop.

She thought things were weird before, but that summer, the letters started showing up. Not that she was able to read any of them, but the mere sight of one made Uncle Vernon turn shades of purple she hadn't realized existed before. It was rather fascinating, or it would have been had she not been more focused on actually trying to read the letters. A part of her was fascinated at what could only be described as magic, considering whoever was sending these things even knew where she slept, but the other part of her was furious, because they **knew** where she slept. They knew how awful this place was, and yet they were just fine with her living there, whoever they were.

However, she supposed she couldn't be too mad at them. Whoever they were, they were desperately trying to get in contact with her. That had to account for something, she supposed. Her and Dudley both wondered at who could want to contact her this badly. The boy had never seen his father act this barmy, and Hari wondered if maybe seeing the man like this was an eye opener for him.

* * *

Dudley couldn't remember a time when he wasn't mean to Hari. It was simply what he was expected to do, so he did. But then the letters came, and kept coming, and no matter what his father did, the letters never stopped. He'd never seen his father act like this, and if there was ever a time he wondered about his father's sanity, this was it. His father was shouting at everyone now, demanding that they pack, that they were leaving.

If boarding up the mail slot didn't work, or any of his father's other ideas didn't work, Dudley seriously doubted the legitimacy of this new plan. Questioning this had resulted in him being hit over the head by his own father! The man had never once hit him, ever, but one question and the man was smacking him around like he was Hari. Now, the two sat in the back of his father's car, driving God only knew where.

A slight squeeze of his hand had him looking up. Hari sat next to him, an apologetic look in her eyes, and a piece of paper in her other hand. It had been her that squeezed his hand, either in comfort or to get his attention without speaking. Dudley took the paper in his grubby fingers, frowning at how they reminded him of his father now. He decided he was going to have to do something about that, as he opened the paper.

**I'm sorry he hit you**

He hadn't expected an apology, hadn't wanted one, but it was nice all the same. Was this what Hari had really been going through this whole time? How had he never noticed? He and his friends picked on her because their parents encouraged it, and without thinking, it had been fun. Now, looking back, he'd never been more ashamed of himself.

Does it hurt like this all the time?

**Not all the time**

I'm sorry too

* * *

It was a start, she thought to herself, though Dudley was still Dudley. He complained that he was missing his shows, that he hadn't blown anything up on his computer game, and that they'd not eaten all that day. That last one was a concern to Hari, though it hadn't been the first time she'd gone without food, it had been the first time the entire family did. Just who were these people that even Uncle Vernon was afraid of them? Just how many letters were they up to now?

At any rate, Uncle Vernon's plan seemed like a good one. They were now trapped on a hunk of rock, in the middle of a rain storm. There was no possibility of letters getting to her now. That was something Uncle Vernon seemed all too happy about. By Dudley's complaining of missing another show, Hari realized her birthday was tomorrow.

As each one of them fell asleep that night, she couldn't help but wonder if they would even remember it was her birthday. Last year had not been great, barely any different than any other day, but still. One did not turn eleven every day, after all. Wow, that storm was really picking up. It almost sounded as if it was banging right on their door!

Suddenly, the door wasn't there anymore. It had crashed onto the floor with a loud BOOM, and then all was silent as a giant of a man calmly walked into the place. It was hard to understand him at first, with how enthusiastically he was talking, but Hari liked him instantly. The moment his eyes landed on Hari, the man's face lit up with the greatest smile. That someone was happy to see her was something new for Hari.

"las'time I saw you, you was only a baby." Said the giant. "You look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mother's eyes."

"I demand you leave at once!" Uncle Vernon shouted, trying to look intimidating to the larger man, as he pointed a shot gun at him. "You are breaking and entering! Out! OUT! **OUT**!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune." said the giant; right before reaching over, jerking the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, and bending it into a pretzel knot as easily as if it had been rubber, and throwing it to the floor.

"Anyway, happy birthday, Harry!" said the giant.

She tried not to wince at that, considering he looked genuinely happy about the day. He'd even given her a cake, though slightly smooshed, and she wasn't one to complain about that. It was even decorated, and it was dark chocolate! She had a secret weakness for dark chocolate, the darker the better. It even had her favorite colour on it, green!

Looking back at the giant, who was now in the process of making food for himself and a spot of tea of course, she thought she should say something. The man had traveled from…a good distance, at any rate. He'd told her happy birthday, even if he thought she was a boy. Should she correct that? It didn't really seem important right now.

"Who are you?" She asked, and the giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." The giant stated.

"I'm sorry…" Hari said, unsure of how to say this without offending the man. "I still don't really know who you are."

"Call me Hagrid, everyone does." The giant, now Hagrid, said. "An like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts – yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."

"Um…no." Hari muttered, and then upon seeing his shocked face. "Sorry."

"**Sorry**?!" Hagrid shouted, turning to glare at the Dursleys. Oh, dear, maybe she shouldn't have said whatever it was she said to upset him. "It's **them **as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't getting' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"

She just had to open up her mouth again. "All what?"

That apparently was not the right thing to say, because Hagrid went into a tirade. As he shouted, Uncle Vernon shrank, if such a thing were truly possible. Aunt Petunia tried disappearing into the wall like she thought she could become part of it. Hari and Dudley shared a look because, once again, Hagrid had called her a boy. At least now she'd get to read that letter.

They got her name right, at least, which she was particularly happy about. They were an institute of learning for wizards, which were apparently a thing. One could only hope they could get a name right. Why would they await her owl? What were they going to do with it, and why did they think she had one?

"He's not going." Uncle Vernon said sternly, choosing now of all times to face the giant.

Dudley, who was standing closest to Hari, whispered. "Dad doesn't **really** think you're a boy…Does he?"

"It seems everyone does. I thought Aunt Petunia changed my nappies, but maybe she paid a neighbor to do it." Hari whispered back, as the two watched them argue about 'muggles' and her parents 'weirdness'. All of a sudden, they hear.

"Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"

"Apparently not well enough." Dudley snickered quietly. She followed suit.

* * *

Hari laughed to herself, last night having seemed like a dream. Uncle Vernon had made one final mistake, insulting someone Hagrid respected. The results of which was Uncle Vernon was now sporting his very own little piggy tail. It was a good thing Dudley had been near her, or else it would have hit him instead. Before she'd left, she told him she'd find a way to talk to him while she was gone, maybe one of those owls these people went on about.

The whole trip, on a flying bike, she kept thinking these 'wizards' must have made some sort of mistake. She couldn't be someone important. If she was, she most certainly would not have been living in a cupboard for most of her life. Why had no one ever said anything? Why had her Aunt and Uncle treated her like this?

That was another thing. Everyone who met her automatically thought she was a boy. If she was famous, why did they think that? She did not have a dick last time she checked. Someone **had** to know that she was a girl.

One crowd, and a nervous professor later, and not one of them noticed. Diagon Alley was the greatest thing she'd ever seen, next to that talking snake she'd accidentally freed. Actual goblins controlled the bank! That was fantastic! Hari made sure to bow to them as she passed, and wondered if they knew, when they looked at her with more narrowed eyes.

She very much liked the warning that was on the doors inside 'Gringotts', sounded quite vindictive and a bit poetic. Hari had never been on a roller coaster before, but she imagined it would be very much like the trip down to her vault. That was something else she couldn't get over, that she had her own vault. When she saw just how much was in there, she scooped up a large amount into a pouch. She may not tell the Dursley's about this, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to use it.

Hari kept waiting for someone to say something. The robes maker surely should have said something, but she was given boys robes. They were nice ones, so she didn't feel like she should complain. Shopping for school supplies had been fun, and when Hagrid wasn't looking, she made sure to get slightly nicer things than the list suggested. She didn't want to go crazy, but quality over quantity was what was important. If it was true in the 'muggle' world, it would be more so here.

The wand maker was a curious sort of fellow, a bit scary, but enthusiastic. Even he didn't seem to point out that she was a girl. Everyone called her Harry. Was this some sort of spell or something? Did people actually 'see' a boy when they looked at her? She kept waiting for someone to point it out, but no one ever did, and here she was, standing in line a month later for something called the 'Sorting feast'.

**Curious one, you are**

I guess?

**Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting … So where to put you?…Better be...**


	2. Chapter 2

Last time:

**Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting … So where to put you?…Better be…**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"SLYTHERIN!"

Well, shit. Being friends with Ron was going to be difficult now. He was already looking like someone had stepped on his pet rat. Hari wasted no more time thinking about it, and just hoped the sorting hat had made the right decision. Weasley's always ended up in Gryffindor, or so the boy had said. From the look of sheer betrayal on Ron's face, it was clear he was blaming her already for the sorting hat's decision, as he had hoped that 'Harry' would be placed in Gryffindor with him.

When the rest of the sorting was over, food magically appeared in front of them all. Hari did her best not to look amazed, but she just couldn't help it. Some of the older students were laughing at her for her open expressions, and she tried to school her expressions down a bit. The way these people ate, much more refined than her Uncle and Aunt back home, and so she tried to copy them. A part of her wondered if food was always going to be this readily available, and fought the desire to squirrel away some food for later.

"Surprised to see you here, Potter." One of the older students sneered. "Thought you'd be over there with the blood traitors like those Weasley's, and the mudblood lovers. Filthy muggleborns are overtaking the school as it is."

"The hat sorted me here. I doubt it's ever been wrong." She said, flippantly. "I am told my mother was a…mudblood, as you've just so _**tactfully**_ put it, brightest in her year. So kindly take your opinions and shove it."

"Is it true you were raised by muggles, Potter?" Malfoy asked. He'd condescendingly introduced himself before the feast, and she had snubbed him for being a git. "Is that where you got your horrible table manners?"

"Actually, I've been copying _**you."**_ She said neatly, earning snickers from around her. "Doesn't look like your henchmen are doing much better."

At that, the two boys stopped eating as if realizing the pigs they were being.

"Ugh, mum would kill me if she saw me eating like this." One of them groused. "I'm Goyle, by the way. That there is Crabbe."

"Missed breakfast?" She asked, knowingly. The both of them were shocked, but nodded. "I understand. I often miss breakfast myself, unless I sneak a bit of it away after I've made it for the…what was that word again?…muggles? that raised me."

"What are you? A house elf?" Malfoy asked, but the reference was lost on her.

The conversation devolved from there, though she thought it was going swimmingly, with snickering had all around. They had been asking her all kinds of questions. Thankfully, no one said the word mudblood in her presence for the rest of dinner. Most did not want to have their mother's insulted, thinking from her shoes, and she was technically part of the 'sacred 28' they kept mentioning. Inwardly cursing herself, she made a mental note to buy some books on wizarding society when she got the chance.

"I'm not looking forward to classes tomorrow." She said, looking over the schedule she'd been given. "I haven't been able to look over my books at all over the summer."

"What were you doing the whole time?" Goyle asked, after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes.

"Being herded around by my uncle, who was trying to keep me from reading my Hogwarts letters by keeping me locked up in my room, or traveling to hard to get to islands during monsoon season." Hari said, without missing a beat, still looking over her list. "I didn't get my books until Hagrid burst into the cabin to come get me about a month ago."

"And after?" Crabbe asked, just as shocked as the others within hearing distance.

"Locked in my cupboard room under the stairs. No, wait, that was before the cabin. After the cabin, all my school stuff was locked in the cupboard room, and I was locked in a room upstairs. Poor Hedwig, I couldn't let her fly all summer. She had to stay in her cage too, or in my room when I cleaned out her cage." Hari said, before looking up to see a sea of shocked faces. "…What'd I say?"

"They really treat you like that?" Malfoy asked, snickering. "You really are a house elf."

* * *

No, there was no way. Absolutely not. All throughout dinner, she had heard about how Hogwarts was alive in a way, that it had an intelligence of its own. There was no way it expected her to sleep with _**boys!**_ Did the school believe she was a boy too? Surely there had to be an end to this madness.

"Um. Potter? You've been staring at the room for a good half hour now." Malfoy stated, looking like he wanted to snicker at her, but the look on her face had stopped him. "What's the deal?"

"It's just…" She stalled. These guys had no idea she wasn't a guy, she realized. "These are the biggest beds I've ever seen in my whole life."

Laughter filled the room, as Malfoy and two other boys couldn't seem to help themselves. She couldn't help but crack a smile at them, and before she knew it, she was laughing with them too. To be fair, she'd said the first thing that had popped into her mind, and the beds were the biggest ones she'd ever seen. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, she decided, even if she was staying with boys, even if…even if everyone still couldn't see she was a girl. A part of her wondered if she should tell them, but then she wondered if maybe the school did it because there were dangers to her even here.

"Are all muggles that bad?" One of the other boys asked. "I'm Theodore Nott, by the way. You can call me Theo if you want, and that's Blaise Zabini."

"Hari." She said, with a small nod to him. "And no, they aren't all bad, Theo, just the one's I got stuck with. Some are worse, though, so I guess I'm lucky there. I imagine wizards are like that too. I mean, Voldemort killed people, after all."

The reaction in the room was instant, gasps had by all.

"You're not suppose to say the name like that!" Malfoy explained, looking uncomfortable, but then he was back to his git like self in an instant. "Us Purebloods call him the Dark Lord."

It was Hari's turn to laugh then. "I'm sorry, but there is no way I'm calling him that. That sounds like he plays dress up, with dolls and everything, in the basement of his mum's house." She said, when she calmed down. "And besides, if anyone has the right to call him Voldemort, it's me."

They shuttered again.

"I'll not go out of my way to say it, if it bothers you all that much, but I won't shy from it either." She said, sensing their growing unease. "Why did so many like this bloke anyway?"

"He spoke to traditional pure blood values." Malfoy insisted. "The preservation of wizarding culture."

"I don't really know what those are. I'm going to have to get books on that, but anyway, are you sure he did?" Hari asked. "I mean, he killed people. Besides, Pureblood just means inbred anyway. You know that, right?"

"Inbred?" Malfoy asked, with a frown.

"It's a muggle word. It means people who are related to each other having kids together for so many generations that defects start showing up." Hari explained, silently thanking the librarian that had helped her whenever she'd had a question about anything.

"You mean like squibs?" The other boy asked. Seeing that she didn't understand the term, he explained. "Children born into wizarding families, but have no magic."

"Maybe." Hari replied, a bit uncertainly.

"Bollocks. That's caused by mud- I mean muggleborns." Malfoy objected, barely stopping from saying the word when Hari glared at him. "My father told me that, said they steal the magic from us."

"How would they do that?" Hari asked, thinking about it. "Wouldn't they have to know about magic first? Or have magic already? Wouldn't you have to have magic to steal it from someone else?"

"You're being impossible, Potter." Malfoy just huffed, and went his bed. Meanwhile, Hari decided it was as good a time as any to study her books, and when he saw that, he had to ask. "Just what are you doing?"

"Studying? I haven't looked at these all summer, I know nothing about magic, and I don't want to look like an idiot." Hari insisted. "I could use a little help, Malfoy."

"Well, we have potions tomorrow with the Gryfindork's." Theo stated, getting his potions book. "If you insist on studying, Potter, you might want to get the right book. We've also got Transfiguration and Defense against the Dark Arts, so just grab those too."

"Here. We'll help." Blaise said, getting out his books.

"Ugh, fine." Malfoy groused, going to get his books. "We can't have you making Slytherin House look bad just because you don't know anything."

* * *

"Hey, Ron!" She said, seeing him head into the great hall for breakfast.

"What do you want, Potter?" Ron asked, looking over at her. He still looked betrayed.

"I thought I'd see how my first friend in the wizarding world liked Grryfindor so far." Hari stated, no longer as happy as she was before. "I didn't realize I had to be in your House to stay your friend, _**Weasley**."_

Ron gaped like a fish for a moment, before Malfoy saw them as he entered the great hall.

"Auditioning to be a fly trap, Weasley?" Malfoy asked, snobbishly, only to quickly hold his head in pain a second later, because Hari had hit him up side the back of his head.

"Ron Weasley is my friend, and if you don't like it, Malfoy, tough!" Hari declared, before turning back to Ron. "We have potions with the Gryffindor's today, so I'll see you then, I guess."

"See you then, Harry." Ron said, with no small amount of wonderment, before heading over to Gryffindor table.

"Wait till my _**father** _hears about this." Malfoy grumbled, with little energy, as they made their way over to Slytherin table.

"Please, your hair barely moved." Hari remarked, causing Theo to snort behind them. "You're eleven. Why do you need hair gel?"

Malfoy didn't say anything, except to grumble as he angrily grabbed at a piece of toast.

* * *

There were few things that could shock one Severus Snape. Having Harry Potter sorted into his house had been one of those things. He hated that kid's father with a passion, but he'd also promised to look after Harry because of his mother. That Harry Potter had made a sort of budding friendship with both Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy was another thing that shocked him. He was also hearing stories of how those muggles had treated the boy before the Hogwarts letters had been sent, and he wasn't sure whether it was true or the boy was just trying to garner sympathy for not being a part of the wizarding world for so long.

Severus was surprised to see one of the nicer potions kits in front of Potter, but the boy looked just as clueless about what to do with it as the rest of them. He fumbled over answers every other first year should already know, and shook like a leaf when Severus berated him for his air-headedness. Severus frowned as he thought over something that hadn't occurred to him before now. The boy looked malnourished, but not overly so, and much too thin for a boy his age; giving some credence to the stories he'd been hearing about Potter's treatment with those muggles he lived with. Potter flinched every time he raised his voice, or when Severus made to move quickly towards him, but didn't seem bothered by Malfoy's git like behaviour.

At least one boy had had to be taken to the hospital wing. Foolish Longbottom boy didn't even pay attention enough to know to take the potion off the fire before adding the porcupine quills. Most of the first year Slytherin's and even the Gryffindor's had laughed at him. Potter just looked pained to see the boy's suffering, offering to help when Finnagin had been ordered to take Longbottom to the hospital wing; not that Severus had allowed it. That was another un-Slytherin like thing from this boy, something else that the others in his house had spoken of, and so Severus kept the boy after class.

"Potter!" Severus shouted, testing a theory, watching as once again the boy flinched. "Relax, boy, it's not like I'm going to **hit** you."

The fact that Potter looked relieved at that spoke volumns.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions. I don't want sob stories. I want short, simple, straight to the point answers. Is that understood?" Severus asked, waiting till Potter nodded before continuing. "Why didn't you study your books this summer?"

"Uncle Vernon locked them in the cupboard, so I couldn't, Professor." Potter explained, keeping the answer simple like he'd been asked.

"Why do you flinch like that?" Severus asked, and Potter looked down before mumbling. "Speak up, Potter."

"I said, I don't know what you're talking about, Professor." Potter denied, which flew all over Severus.

"_I'M TALKING ABOUT _**_THIS!_"** Severus shouted, making his point as Potter not only flinched but began shaking slightly.

"I would rather not say, Professor." Potter insisted, something that surprised Severus. "May I please go?"

"After you answer this last question." Severus stated, keeping any sympathy he might feel for the boy out of his voice. "Why did you offer to help Longbottom?"

Potter seemed surprised by this question, and tried and failed to make himself answer.

"It's not the first instance of un-Slytherin like behaviour from you in less than a day." Severus pointed out. "I saw that display in the Great Hall this morning."

That seemed to help jar him out of his shock.

"It's not. Un-slytherin like, I mean." Potter stated, in defense of his actions. "It's just different."

"Explain." Severus ordered, coolly. "Do not try my patience, boy."

Potter flinched again.

"Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use _**any**_ means to achieve their ends." Potter recited, before looking up at him. "I don't know if the phrase is known in the wizarding world, but muggles have this saying. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I want as many _**real**_ friends as I can get, so if being openly nice to the other Houses whittles out the fake friends, that's no skin off my nose. Plus, it's to my advantage, because real friends would want to be around for me, and not my name, or what I can give them. I'll need that in a world where everyone knows my name."

"A surprising stance to take for one so young. My predecessor would have congratulated you on your desire to create interhouse friendships for future connections at such a young age, as he would put it." Severus stated, with a frown, thinking back on Slughorn. "5 points to Slytherin for your unusual foresight. You may go."

* * *

Dumbledore sighed as the gargoyle let him know Severus was at the bottom of the stairs waiting to be let in. A look at the schedule confirmed that Slytherin and Gryffindor had just had a shared class that day. So it was no surprise that Severus would be up to his office to complain about it. The man did have an unnatural hatred for Gryfindor's. Signalling the gargoyle to let the man in, Dumbledore waited till Severus was at the top of the stairs to say anything.

"Lemon drop?" He offered, surprised when Severus grabbed a half a handful and shoved them into his mouth. Now he was worried, as Severus had outright refused to ever try one of these 'silly muggle confections'.

Severus waited until the bite of the lemon drops no longer plagued him before continuing. "You knew."

"I know a lot, Severus. You're going to have to be more specific." Dumbledore remarked, with a tired sigh.

"I shout, he flinches. I move towards him, he flinches. It's not normal, not like this!" Severus snapped, angrily. "He can't look an adult in the eyes, but is brave to a fault with children his own age."

"Is this a riddle?" Dumbledore asked, with a slight smile, knowing he will get the information quicker if he pushes his friend's buttons instead of outright asking.

"I'm talking about Harry Potter!" Severus shouted, fuming now. "That boy is being abused by the muggles he's forced to live with, and you _**knew**!"_

"Yes. It is unfortunate that Hari can not be removed from the home, but you're right. I knew." Dumbledore admitted. This knowledge was not something he was proud of, and raised his hand to silence Severus before he could begin arguing with him. "If it were not for the Blood wards, Hari Potter would have been removed from that home long ago, Severus. They offer a protection we can not give."

Severus threw up his hands in anger, and stormed out. It was…unfortunate didn't even cover it. It was horrendous, the circumstances Hari Potter had to deal with in the muggle world. The sacrifice of Lily Potter could not be denied, however, and as James Potter had no other living family to speak of, Hari had had to go with the Dursley's. He'd given Hari what magic he could, unsure of the outcome it would bring, and now he realized that it had given everyone the misconception that Hari Potter was a boy; even Hogwarts had helped boost the magic by setting her up in the boy's dorms. How long the magic would last would be up to Hari.

* * *

There it was again, that sound. Draco couldn't stand it. He'd already complained to his Head of House, but there was no room changing. It appeared that rooming with The Boy Who Lived also came with dealing with his nightmares. What did he have to be scared of anyway? The Dark Lord was dead as far as anyone knew, he was rich and from an old family.

That was it. If Uncle Severus couldn't deal with this, and the Headmaster was only going to suggest a dreamless sleep draught, Draco was going to have to deal with it himself. The nightmares didn't seem to bother anyone else. Blaise and Theo slept straight through them, but Draco couldn't. So when it started up again, Draco stormed over to Potter's bed and ripped open the curtains, only to have his annoyance deflate at the sight of what was happening.

Harry Potter's face was contorted in pain, as he clutched at the curse scar. So desperate for a good night's sleep, Draco had purposefully discounted the one thing that could give Potter nightmares. If there was some part of his mind that remembered the attack, no matter how young he'd been, it would make sense that that is what gave him nightmares. He went over to his bed, fished for one of the dreamless sleep his mother had sneaked into his bag, and went back to Potter. After harshly shaking him awake, Draco all but shoved the potion at him.

"Drink this, and you won't dream." Malfoy said, grumpily. "Sips only. Don't down the whole thing, and don't try to drink it every night. Got it?"

Potter nodded groggily, taking the potion from him, making sure to only take a sip like he'd ordered, and set the remainder of it down on the night stand.

"Thanks, Malfoy." Potter managed, right before the potion took effect, and he conked right out.

"Finally, I can sleep." Draco grumbled, before getting back into bed.

The next morning didn't help much. He'd written to his mother and father about Potter being in Slytherin House, the nightmares, and also subtly inquired about what inbreeding was. The reply he got back later that day was lengthy. His father didn't want to hear any of that muggle filth from him ever again (something that made him wonder if he was onto something, as his father only ever got mad like that when someone questioned his view on…anything really), and his mother expressed a desire to get in contact with Potter herself. If those muggles were really anything like what Potter had described to him, she'd likely try to adopt the boy or stuff him with sweets, or both; Draco groaned at the thought of it.

* * *

Dudley didn't know what the big deal was, Smelting's was a horrible school. It let you hit other children with a stick! This is the kind of thing he used to do to Hari, because he was bored and it was kind of expected of him. His friends from his old school couldn't understand why he'd stopped beating Hari up, and he'd tried to explain it better, but they hadn't understood. It wasn't too long before they started trying to beat him up the way they had Hari, but Dudley was a lot bigger than Hari, and it backfired on them spectacularly.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the hoot of a snow white owl, Hari's owl. Had it waited till he was alone? Could they be trained to do that? Brilliantly smart bird, that was for sure. It carried a letter, and now that whole thing about 'we'll expect your owl' made a lot more sense.

"Brilliant bird, you are." Dudley said, scratching the top of it's head. "Don't have a treat for you though. Sorry. I'll try to remember next time. Is that from Hari?"

The bird hooted in approval, and stretched out it's leg for him to take the letter.

"If you can hang about here for a bit, I'll get you a reply to send back. I'm sure there's some mice or something you'd like, yeah?" Dudley said, hoping the bird understood him, otherwise he'd have no way to get the letter to Hari. The bird hooted again, and stretched out it's wings. "I'll meet you on the roof tonight."

Without further prompting, the bird took off, and Dudley went back inside. He had a letter to read, and a response to send. He'd have to sneak up onto the roof, which meant waiting till after curfew. It was amazing, but he was fairly certain that owl had understood him. He wondered what other kinds of things magic was capable of, and in the safety of his room at Smeltings, he read the letter.

_Dudley!_

_There's so much to tell you, I'm not sure how I'm going to fit it all on here. Guess I'll have to sum it up bit, I'm afraid. Got sorted into Slytherin House, by a talking hat! It looks inside your mind, sees what makes you you, and decides where you go. It sings too, but that's another story. There are four Houses, and each House represents specific traits and things you're good at._

_You're not going to believe this, but everyone still thinks I'm a boy. The castle of Hogwarts, which is apparently kind of sentient (bit creepy to think about that, actually), put me in the boy's dormitory! I don't know whether to say something, or just let this play out until someone figures it out. Potions class is interesting, although I'm pretty sure the professor hates me. Which reminds me, one of my professors can turn into a cat!_

_We're actually supposed to learn to fly soon, on broomsticks and everything. I don't know whether to be nervous or not. There's a few people that I'm kind of friends with, and they say I should be alright, but these are wizard children that have been around magic all their lives. They actually call non magic folk muggles, which is a weird word, but fun to say. Everyone keeps staring at my forehead like I've got something on it, and then I remember, 'Oh, yeah, Hari, you do!'_

_I hope Hedwig got this to you okay. I told her to stay out of sight of other people, and to only show herself to you when she knew it was clear, just in case the school calls Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia when something 'odd' happens around you. Don't want to get you in trouble. How's Smeltings? Do you like it there? Is it a good school? Tell me all about it in your next letter, and I'll see if I can include some of the wizard candies they have here. Anyway, hope to hear from you soon._

_Hari_

* * *

I hope you all like it, and that I haven't made Malfoy too goodie. I want him to be generally prat-like and stuff. the typical snobby 11 year old with money lol. Suggestions are awesome, and for those who want to see a Gryffindor Hari, I'll get started on that soon. Going to duplicate the first chapter though. I'll keep everyone posted!


	3. Boom

Chapter 3

There was a letter that landed in front of her one morning. There was also a small box that smelled suspiciously like rich dark chocolate. One look at Malfoy's similar box confirmed her theory, but then what was with the letter? Why even give her a box of chocolates at all? Deciding to check out the chocolates at another time, she opened the letter.

To Harry Potter of the most noble House of Potter, (Hari sighed mentally, before getting back to the letter)

I thought it best that I write you, instead of my husband. Had it been him, I am certain a few well placed thinly veiled threats would have made their way into it. Most unbecoming for a Slytherin, I'd say. Be that as it may, he is very set in 'The old ways', and hasn't quite grown into things. I have taken the liberty to find books on this inbreeding my Draco mentioned in his last letter, so that I can help him see reason; The problem of squibs being born into magical families is very real, and needs to be addressed properly.

Draco mentioned something about nightmares, and the curse scar. If you like, I can go through the Malfoy Library here at the Manor in search of answers. It may not provide any relief, but a possible peace of mind. I find that I am rather curious about the muggles that have raised you so far, and hope that you will tell me about them. I have never met a muggle, you see, and find myself rather curious about them.

Please enjoy the box of sweets as my congratulations on your acceptance into House of Slytherin. The Manor's house elves love to make them, and it would be an incredible waste if they aren't eaten by someone. Feel free to keep them to yourself, or share among friends. I'm afraid that when I told the poor dears who some of them would go to, they went a little overboard. I am sure you have questions, so feel free to write me any time you wish.

Best wishes,

Narcissa Malfoy née Black, of the Most Noble House of Malfoy

Hari just stared at the letter, looking at Malfoy in confusion. The boy looked red in the face, embarrassed or jealous, she couldn't say. Considering how he has been acting the last few days, she couldn't even begin to make a guess. Why would his mother offer to help her? Did she not know how much of a prat her son had been these last few days?

**Flashback…**

It happened during their first flying lesson. Malfoy was being his usual prattish self. He'd stolen Longbottom's Rememberall, bragging about it like an idiot. Hari had only asked that it be given back, and Malfoy looked at her like she'd grown a second head. Being a bully didn't seem very Slytherin like, and she told him so.

"I thought Slytherin's were supposed to be clever, not foolish." Hari stated, not backing down when Malfoy refused to give the thing to one of the Gryffindor's. "Give back the rememberall, Malfoy."

"Defending Gryffindorks now are you?" Malfoy sneered, before looking to the rememberall and back again. "Maybe I should leave it for him. Maybe in a tree?"

She watched as he took off in style on that old broom, flying into the air as if he had been born doing it. Not even thinking about the fact that she's never had a lesson before this, she took off on the broom she had as well. That was something he hadn't expected, for Hari to follow him up, or for her to be a natural flyer. In a fit, he threw the rememberall, shocked when she dived after it without thinking; More shocked when she caught it after a fifty foot dive. Hari had barely made it back to the ground when she heard her Head of House shouting at her.

"HARRY POTTER!"

No one, not even Malfoy, wanted to get in trouble with Professor Snape; Even if he was their Head of House. While he may give out points like candy to the Slytherin in his classes, he was equally as harsh if he had to punish one. Malfoy had hidden behind the tree he'd been near in the first place, to stay out of sight of the professor in question. The man simply took Hari by the shoulder, and marched her back into the building. No one said a word, and Hari tried not to let her internal panic show through.

"Could have broke your fool neck." Professor Snape grumbled. "What were you thinking?"

Hari didn't know if he actually expected her to answer him, and kept her mouth shut. It wasn't her fault that Malfoy was being a spectacular prat, but he hadn't been the one to get caught, and she wasn't about to squeal either. Slytherin protected their own, even from themselves, and Hari viewed this as one of those moments. It wasn't long till they were in his office, and a rather tall looking neanderthal of a student stood with them. Hari feared for her life in that moment, staring up at this colossal student, but Professor Snape didn't seem to be in near as bad a mood as he had been earlier.

"Flint, meet your new Seeker." Professor Snape said, looking to the colossally tall student.

"Bit tiny, ya think?" 'Flint' said, with a bit of a gruff, now eyeing her skeptically. "You ever play Quidditch, Potter?"

"Today was my first flying lesson." She said, quietly, still not sure what was going on here. Flint looked back to Professor Snape in disbelief.

"It's true." Professor Snape confirmed. "Potter caught that thing in his hand after about a fifty foot dive; didn't even scratch himself. If I hadn't been in a meeting with some of the other professors, I would have never seen it."

"You mean…" Hari asked, feeling like she was going to be sick.

"Just about every professor, including the Head Master, saw what you did." Professor Snape confirmed, and now she really felt green.

"I knew it. I'm going to get expelled, and then I'll have to work for the Dursley's as a dish washer." Hari mumbled to herself.

"Relax, boy, you aren't getting expelled." Professor Snape scoffed. "You **should** be, after what you did, no concern over your own safety over a stupid ball. If I find that you aren't training hard, I'll see about doing just that, or something to make you wish I had."

"We'll need to get him a Nimbus Two Thousand." Interjected Flint. "Or a Cleansweep Seven. Something fast and lightweight, with maneuverability."

**Flashback end**

She was going to have to address this, she knew. The books on wizarding culture she'd had sent to her from Flourish and Blotts had been very helpful to her. There was a whole world of etiquette she'd never known about. Why did they not teach this here? They had a muggle study class, surely the muggleborns would want to know about wizarding culture if they were just presented with the option of learning it.

Thankful for the free period that morning, Hari went back to her shared room, and got out the stationary. She absolutely loved that Flourish and Blotts had a mail service, and wondered if that Granger girl knew about it too. She certainly had enough books around all the time. Then again, she heard that the girl spent all her time in the library, so maybe not. At least Neville had gotten his rememberall back, with no one the wiser for **how** it got back to him.

* * *

Narcissa Malfoy was not overly fond of tea parties, but she learned a great deal from them. Draco had not written to her much, but she already knew that he'd been sorted into Slytherin, and that he roomed with Harry Potter, Theodore Knott, and Blaise Zabini. She knew this because she had her tea parties, a great source of information if there was ever such a thing. She could probably work a spy network if she really wanted to, all from a tea party. Mail very rarely came around tea time, but everyone's attention was captured by a beautiful snowy owl with a letter addressed to her from one Harry Potter. Making apologies, as they all understood given who it was that had written to her, she opened the letter.

Not that she explained anything to them, which insured that they would talk about it later, but she was very excited to talk to her husband about this when her guests were gone. She'd sent that letter and those sweets to the Potter boy thinking that he would simply do as other children did, take the chocolates and forget the letter. The fact that he wrote back showed manners. What he wrote back was confusing, to say the least. There was so much this boy didn't know, so much that was being kept from him.

Narcissa rarely went against her husband on things, but she automatically knew this was going to be one of those things. After Draco's last letter, Lucius had forbidden the boy any more attempts at friendship with the Potter boy, but Narcissa saw it for what it was. Draco was beginning to question his father's view of the world, something all children did, and Lucius did not want his son to question him in such a manner. So, she'd picked up books on inbreeding and was shocked at what she'd learned. That muggles had learned this before wizards was simply appalling, and she was not going to have her family living in the Dark Ages like this if she had anything to say about it.

Her husband was a stubborn one, and rarely admitted wrongdoing, but with the right…motivation…he could be brought to see reason. Having Harry Potter as a friend of the Malfoys' could only benefit them. The reputation of the Malfoys' had undergone a considerable dive, and it was only fear and money that held them where they were. It was foolish to deny Draco a potential friend, when he'd been ordered to try and befriend the boy in the first place. While Lucius thought with his pride, Narcissa thought with her heart, and she loved her son.

"The Potter boy wrote back to me." She announced, once she saw her husband after the tea party. "Would you like to hear it?"

"He's eleven. What could he possibly have to say that's so interesting?" Lucius scoffed, as he read the morning edition of 'The Daily Prophet'. He was still a sulking a little.

"I do hope you stop sulking at some point, my love." Narcissa lightly teased. Lucius glares at her, but it hardly has any bite to it. "He has no idea what a house elf is, though many in Slytherin House have begun to call him Harry the house elf after hearing how the muggles who've raised him have treated the boy. He's very open about how they get him to cook and clean for them, but I suspect there's more to it than that. He's also been made Seeker for the house team."

"In his first year?" Lucius asked, in shock. "He'd have to be the youngest one in ages."

"A little over a century, according to the letter." Narcissa replies, allowing for a small smile. Even now, her husband was mad for quidditch. "He thinks it's why Draco isn't talking to him. It seems Draco had something to do with him becoming the youngest Seeker in over a century, but because Draco was doing something he shouldn't, Harry kept quiet about it all. No doubt Severus knows what it is, but because Harry won't say anything, he can't punish Draco for whatever wrongdoing he did. Harry was very vague about it all."

"I take it that you want me to apologize?" Lucius asked, defensively, sneering at the thought of it.

"Whether you agree with the argument or not, if something isn't done, all wizarding children from pureblood families will end up like that Longbottom boy or worse; Filch." Narcissa pointed out, making the man shudder. "Is that what you want for our son? To have children like that? Is that the legacy you want for future generations of Malfoys?"

"Alright, alright, fine. I'll apologize to the Potter boy." Lucius grudgingly relented.

"There's something odd though." Narcissa replied, looking back at the letter. "He spells his name H-A-R-I."

"That is rather odd." Lucius agreed, before making for his office. He had an apology to write, after all, but he would afford himself one last snide comment at the very least. "Perhaps he doesn't know how to spell his name right either."

* * *

Hari Potter felt distinctly uncomfortable at the Gryffindor table, but she'd come here on a mission, and she would see it through. Ron had invited her to eat dinner with them, and as she hadn't had much time to spend with her first friend in the wizarding world, she decided to accept the offer. Oddly enough, it was the Weasley twins that put her at ease. Between their jokes, and easy going natures, she found it impossible to hate them. The fact that they already had plans for a joke shop in the works was an added bonus; She'd offered to sample any of their inventory, and buy from them for future pranks of her own, if they could make something specific for her on the odd occasion.

That Granger girl, who she was to call Hermione from now on, was actually quite nice; once Hari got used to how the girl bulldozed everyone with facts and things. She understood the girl had a lot to prove, just like she did. Ron didn't seem to like her, mainly because Hermione was bossy, and had no problems telling Ron he was wrong. Ron's table manners were atrocious, to the point where Hari was a little worried he got starved at home. The twins denied this, however, citing how their mother loved to make things all the time. It appeared that her friend was just a pig at the dinner table, his excuse of 'I'm a growing boy' fooling no one.

Neville thanked her for getting the rememberall back. All of the table had something bad to say about Malfoy, mainly dealing with his father, which annoyed Hari. She didn't like it when people talked behind another's back like that, and asked that they stop it. After all, no one liked having their friends talked bad about while they weren't around, and it wasn't exactly a brave thing to do. One of the older Gryffindor boys, Wood, just lamented the fact that she was not a Gryffindor; McGonagall couldn't stop talking about the fifty foot dive Potter had taken.

She couldn't help but notice the look Professors Snape and McGonagall shared. It was of worry, tension, and confusion. Slytherin's did not sit with Gryffindor's and vice versa, so why was she? There were several Hufflepuff's she was friends with, and a few Ravenclaw's she liked to talk to on occasion, but she only ever got stares when she talked to Gryffindor's. Okay, that wasn't true. She got stares all the time, and whispers too, though not as bad as that first week.

To be fair, she wasn't feeling charitable to most of Slytherin House at the moment. They'd taken to calling her Harry the House Elf when not in mixed company, and she'd finally looked up what a house elf was. She'd been honest about how she was treated at home, and this was what they did? Theo and Blaise never made fun of her, but Malfoy had taken to making fun of her with remarkable enthusiasm, encouraged by some of the older students of Slytherin House. When she woke up the next morning, all of her school uniforms were gone, and in their place was some kind of ruck sack.

"What is this?" Hari asked, with trepidation, holding up the ruck sake. Theo and Blaise looked over at it in confusion, dread filling their eyes as understanding dawns in them, so whatever it was wasn't good. "And where are my clothes?"

"Those **are** your clothes! You know, seeing as you're a house elf and all, I thought you'd want to look the part." Malfoy snickered. "Didn't think you'd need those school robes anymore. You'll be working in the kitchens with the other house elves, so chop chop!…Um…Harry?…Harry?…You can laugh now, you know…it was just a joke."

* * *

The room had instantly gone several degrees colder than it had been in the dorm, and Potter was shaking. He held onto the ruck sack in one of his fists, his knuckles having gone white from squeezing it so hard. Draco had thought he would have laughed about this too, as he had everything else, but Potter wasn't laughing this time. Draco could practically smell the magic in the air, the unbridled power that Potter wielded. He'd gone too far with this one, and Draco knew it, but it was far too late to take it back.

"**Run**." Harry growled out, the only warning they got. Theo and Blaise were already headed for the door, and Draco barely made it out before there was a very loud resounding **_BOOM._**

* * *

Seeing as how his office was quite close to Slytherin House, that is where Severus was when he felt a magical charge buildup. He was already racing towards his House's common room when the resounding **_BOOM_** hit him. Damn thing felt like it rocked the foundation of Hogwarts, and no doubt the Headmaster would be making his way down there to investigate. Hoping to avert that, Severus sent a quick message via patronus that he was taking care of it and that he would explain later. He doubted very much that that would hold off the nosy man for long, but it would at least give him pause till Severus could figure out what actually happened, instead of Dumbledor's anti Slytherin view of it.

When he got there, the common room was in a state of confusion and panic. Water was seeping out from under one of the doors, and three of the Slytherin first years looked remarkably more pale than the rest of them. There was usually four to a room of first years, and as Draco had complained about one room mate in particular, Severus already knew who was missing. He looked around quickly, hoping that he would find the boy somewhere else in the room; he did not. Damn it all, he was still going to have to explain this to the Headmaster.

"Everyone, gather your belongings. I want you to quickly, and quietly, make your way over to my office. It will expand to hold you all till accommodations can be made." Severus stated, before making his way to the room the water was coming from. He looked to Draco, and the other two. "Potter still in there?" All three nodded frantically. "And you didn't think to get him?" All shook their heads no violently. "When I get out of there, you three are going to come with me to the Hospital Wing, and explain to me exactly what happened here."

"But Professor, our room is…" Draco tried to insist. "We barely got out in time. Potter might not be…"

"That boy had better be alive, Draco Malfoy, or you will most likely be very dead for being responsible for the death of the saviour of the wizarding world; all because you were too afraid to swim in after him." Severus snapped at him, before making his way down into their dorm.

Most of the room had flooded, water pouring in from cracks all throughout the room's walls; Potter was nowhere to be seen. The water was already up to Severus' chest, and so he ducked down into the water to search for the boy. His heart leaped into his throat as he saw the boy floating near one of the beds, a trail of blood coming from his head. He quickly grabbed the boy and made a quick exit, casting a number of ennervate's, vivifica's and a few warming charms, hoping that it would be enough till he could get the boy to Madam Pomfrey. He noted, after grabbing a blanket off the couch to wrap the boy in, that Draco and his room mates were still in the common room; he'd meant for them to wait in his office with the others, but then again he hadn't been very specific about where they were supposed to be.

"Is he alright?" Knott asked, as they followed him.

"I don't know." Severus stated, not sugar coating this for them. "Madam Pomfrey will do what she can."

"It was my fault, Professor." Draco said, sounding guilt ridden. "I took a joke too far."

"Poppie!" Severus called out, when the Hospital Wing came into view. He was through the doors before she could get to them. "Head injury, possible concussion, fluid in the lungs. I've cast vivifica, ennervate, and some warming charms. He didn't respond, and I was afraid to do anything else."

"Place Potter on the bed. I'll take over from here." Madam Pomfrey ordered quickly, and Severus did just as she said, before she promptly closed a curtain around the bed and got to work. Severus took the boys to a side area where people usually waited, and sat down.

"Someone." Severus said, his voice steeled and angry but in check. "Explain to me what happened, right now. How did a joke do **that**?"

"I stole his school robes, and gave him that ruck sack he's got in his hand." Draco explained, quietly, keeping his face downcast. "Told him that since he got treated like a house elf at home, then he might as well dress like them too. Made a crack about him working in the kitchens. Most of the House has been calling him Harry the House Elf, myself included, and he'd just laugh…Only he didn't laugh this time, started shaking, told us to run, and then…his magic…it just…"

"You're eleven, so on the whole, you're an idiot, but I expected better from you, Draco. You are my godson, and I love you as I would my own, but I have never been more disappointed in you than I am now." Severus stated gravely. "Because of your actions, and those of your fellow peers, Harry Potter nearly overloaded his magical core. The room is cracked in half, and I would be hard pressed not to have the rest of the Hogwarts foundation checked for more cracks in it."

"Father said not to…" Draco stumbled over the words, failing to finish the sentence.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy." Severus said, effectively stopping another attempt at it. "You actions nearly killed a student today. I highly doubt that was anywhere near what your father had in mind, no matter what he said to you. I'm not even sure what punishment could even cover this."

"Oh, I'm sure his father will think of something." Albus said, with a knowing smile as he strolled into the room. "I take it you know the cause behind the destruction to certain parts of Hogwarts Castle?"

"Yes, and I believe it's time I had a word with my House." Severus stated. "Potter's injured, Slytherin House is flooded, and all of it could have been avoided. If you don't mind, Albus, I would like to speak with Lucius personally. I believe I can help him work out an effective punishment for my godson."

"Very well." Albus replied with a slight nod."Poppie, a word, if you will?"

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was confused, something a Malfoy should never be. Narcissa had received a near immediate reply from the Potter boy, and yet here he sat waiting on the whims of an eleven year old boy. If it wasn't for the fact that he loved his wife very much, he would not be in this position. She'd made him swear to no longer speak ill of blood traitors and mudbloods, not that she held sway over his thoughts; though he suspected that could she read them, they would not be enjoying a particularly pleasurable activity. One does not change in a day, he'd huffed; but if she had her way, he would be the beacon of light at the snap of her fingers. The madness of it all.

The Floo activated, something he was glad for as a welcomed distraction. What he was surprised to see was a very wet Severus Snape step through the Floo. The broody professor didn't normally make house calls like this, but Lucius imagined that it had something to do with his state of attire. He had an ever growing dreadful suspicion that his son had been involved somehow. Lucius' lips twitched in an effort to hold back laughing at the picture of a drowned cat the professor made.

"Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Lucius asked, getting up from behind his rather expensive cherry oak desk.

"I have already admonished the whole of Slytherin House for this, but I feel like your son deserved something a bit more personal, considering he's my godson." Severus stated. Lucius waited for the words he knew were coming. "And considering this is a great deal his fault."

"Prank gone wrong?" Lucius asked, lightly, having no idea how close his guess actually was. Severus looked mutinous. "Oh dear, how bad?"

"Potter nearly **died**." Severus growled, but then calmed himself. "As it turns out, many of the older years call him-"

"Harry the House Elf. Yes, Narcissa told me." Luclius explained, to the now shocked Professor. "Apparently the two write to each other."

"Yes, well. Encouraged by the older students, your son took to maliciously teasing the boy." Severus replied, looking calm, but anger flashed in his eyes.

"Severus, surely it's just teasing amongst snakes?" Lucius asked, hoping that's all it was.

"You have never been starved or beaten, made to cook and clean for people who degrade your very existence." Severus pointed out, though Lucius couldn't see where this was going. "Potter has. Those muggles he stays with abuse him, treat him like a poorly cared for house elf, something that the others picked up on before Potter realized it would be used against him. He took it all as a joke, but I guess the teasing was finally too much."

"What did my son do?" Lucius asked, dreading the answer, though he did not show it.

"He somehow hid away all Potter's clothing, and gave him one of those ruck sacks the house elves wear; said if he was going to get treated like a house elf, he might as well look the part." Severus replied, before taking another calming breath. "Apparently that was the last straw for Potter, because the pent up magic exploded. Slytherin House is flooded. There's a large split throughout their dorm room. The concussive blast was heard throughout most of Hogwarts, and we're having to check the foundation just in case. Potter hit his head due to the blast, and nearly drowned. What are you going to do?"

Lucius was about to answer with 'Nothing', mainly because he wasn't sure what would cover this, but Narcissa interrupted him, having stepped in and heard enough to know what their son had done.

"I have an idea." She said, with calculating thoughtfulness. "Leave it to me. I'll take care of it."

"Suddenly, I find myself afraid for Draco." Severus muttered to himself. Lucius silently nodded his agreement.

* * *

The whole of Slytherin House was inside Snape's magically enlarged office. By now, they had pieced together that something had happened to Harry Potter. Knott, Zabini, and Malfoy had come back moments ago, and the rest of the House wasted no time in getting the story from them. Harry Potter had that kind of power? They hadn't really had the time to process that, when Professor Snape stepped through the Floo.

"I can not begin to express my disappointment in you, in my own House. Harry Potter offered you his friendship, a powerful ally to have if , and yet the lot of you thought it was more fun to abuse him the way his muggle family did instead." He said, not bothering yet to discuss how the sleeping arrangements were going to go. "I assume that you've been told that the outburst of power split the room in half, and rocked the foundation of Hogwarts. It's true. It also exhausted his magical core. He has a concussion, and Madam Pompfrey had to drain the fluid from his lungs, but he will live, though I expect it is a close thing. I expect the lot of you to take stock of your actions, because you have just lost every point you've earned for Slytherin so far this year. You are all placed under probation. That means no Hogsmeade visits for the older students. That means no leniency if I catch you out after curfew. As far as I'm concerned, the only places you are allowed to go are the Great Hall for meals, classes, and the library when needed. When the Slytherin Common Room has been dried out, and fixed, you will move back in there. Until then, this is where you will stay. The house elves, which you should also respect, will be making temporary beds for you here, and if you are not needed in the other places allowed for you, here is where I expect you to be. Is that clear to everyone? If he names any of you, and you can bet I will ask, there will be an additional month long detention added on to the probation you are now in."

They were speechless, but what could they say? The boy hadn't known what a house elf was, and so they'd made fun of him, all while he thought he was being accepted. He must have found out what a house elf was, and couldn't take everything that had happened. Everyone felt rotten, a mix of regret at having caused the near death of a student, and for having been caught tormenting said student. Most were still shocked Potter had that kind of power, and while that was not quite the reason Snape wanted them to reevaluate the situation, it was certainly motivation.

* * *

Latin translation

vivifica – revive

* * *

Working on the Gryffindor side now.


	4. Secrets slow reveal

Chapter 4

Hari Potter woke up with a start, confused and more than a little hungry. Groaning at the sudden pounding in her head, she laid back down in the bed. Where even was she? It looked like a hospital wing. That realization had her sitting up in the bed again.

Hospitals were bad. They asked questions she didn't want to answer. That meant another car ride home with Uncle Vernon. That meant another whacking, and time out in her cupboard. These people were going to send her back!

She had to get out of there! With that thought firmly entrenched in her mind, she slowly got out of bed. These types of places always had someone about, to keep an eye on things. If she could stay silent, and keep an eye out, maybe she could make it out of the room. After that, she would worry about how to get out of Hogwarts, and then what to do about never going to the Dursley's again.

"And just _**what**_ do you think _**you're**_ doing?" Came the slow drawl of her Head of House.

Hari froze instantly, before slowly turning to see Professor Snape leaning against the wall near her bed. How had she missed him? She'd looked for people, hospital staff, anyone, before trying to exit the room. He seemed to sense her panic, and relaxed his features in an effort to appear nonthreatening. It didn't work, but it did make her pause.

"Thought I'd stop by the Great Hall for some breakfast, Professor." Hari said, lightly, trying to stop the shaking that was getting steadily worse.

"Sit down before you fall down, Potter." Professor Snape said, with a scoff.

She did so, getting back into the bed just before Madam Pomfrey swooped in with a tray of potions. The medi witch started making Hari drink one right after another. Some of the small vials made Professor Snape's eyebrows go to his forehead, but he didn't ask questions, not yet. Satisfied that she had gotten her patient to drink all of the necessary potions, Madam Pomfrey retreated back to some unseen part of the hospital wing, but not before lecturing Hari on needing to eat more. Finally the part Hari dreaded most was upon her, and Professor Snape could ask his questions.

"Do you even know what half of those potions were, Potter?" Professor Snape asked, but didn't wait for her to answer. "Most of those were nutrient replenishing potions, followed by muscle regenerative potions, a bone growing potion, a metabolism stabilizing potion, and one incredibly strong contraceptive potion that will last for the next three months; usually given only to _**women**."_

Hari's face felt like it was burning.

"It's other purposes are for stomach pains, to lighten certain...other...aspects; should those occur. Please tell me I do not have to tell you the changes a young woman goes through." Professor Snape stated, further embarrassing them both. Hari shook her head no, and he sighed in relief. " Good. I was not prepared for such a talk, and don't believe either of us would make it through the attempt at the present moment. Now, since this has been brought to my attention in a most obvious attempt at poor covert behaviour by Madam Pomfrey; considering I know how covert that woman has actually been over the years, that tells me I was not meant to know, which means Dumbledore does, which means you and I will be talking about this in my office later. Understood? (Hari nodded) Good. What happened before you lost control of your magic?"

"I'm sorry?" Hari asked, in confusion. At least he had sort of confirmed for her that Dumbledore knew she was not a boy, but that raised more questions than it answered. "I don't understand, Professor."

"Slytherin House is flooded, your dorm is split in half, and a great deal of the foundation of Hogwarts is having to be repaired. You hit your head, and would have drowned had I not found you in time." Professor Snape stated, as if he were tired of telling the story already. "What. Happened?"

"I…I…" Hari stammered, unsure of what to say.

"I would advise you not to _**lie**_ to me in this moment, Potter." Professor Snape scolded, and she looked down. "I know what happened already. I just want to hear you say it."

Hari scrunched up her eyebrows like she was trying to remember. She couldn't tell him how most of the House called her Harry the House Elf until she got tired of not understanding the joke. She couldn't tell him that Draco had taken to teasing her about it to the point that her anger had gotten out of control with her magic, and had lashed out. Too afraid that they would kick her out if they knew she had lost control of her emotions like that, Hari played injured. After all, she'd watched Dudley over act doing this enough that she knew what not to do.

"It's a bit fuzzy." She said, slowly, still pretending to think. Best to go with the truth, and then 'not remember' the rest, she decided. "I remember…my chest felt tight, like I couldn't breathe…my scar hurt…and then…something pushed me back…"

"Is that really the story you plan on going with, Potter?" Professor Snape pressed.

"It's the truth, Professor. You did say not to lie, after all." She replied meekly. "Is it alright if I have a bit to eat now, Professor?"

"I imagine you _**would**_ be hungry." Professor Snape said, looking a bit annoyed at not getting the answers he wanted. "You've been unconscious for three days."

* * *

Young Harry Potter was a lot smaller than she thought he would be, asleep in the hospital bed as he was; his small stature a clear sign that his muggle guardians had not taken proper care of him. Even James hadn't been that tiny at that age, though she supposed Severus would know that better than she did. A plan was forming in her mind, but it would be some time before she was ready to strike. For now, there was the punishment for Draco, which seemed would now benefit the Potter boy much more than she had previously thought it would. Madam Pomfrey greeted her with a thin lipped smile, a warning that nothing was to disturb the healing process of the Potter child, and even Narcissa Malfoy would not think of going against her wishes.

So, the Malfoy matriarch sat by Potter's bed and waited; thankfully not too long. When the boy stirred, she waited for him to realize she was there, offering a warm smile when he tensed upon seeing her. Considering it had been her son that was in large part responsible for this, Narcissa Malfoy was not surprised that he was wary of her. She was, however, a bit surprised when he relaxed somewhat. He turned, fumbling around for his glasses on the night stand before looking at her again.

"I'm sorry, but are you Mrs. Malfoy?" Harry asked, unsure of himself.

"I am. My husband and I have been quite worried about you, Child, considering everything that's happened." Narcissa explained, kindly, though this did not seem to relax the child. "You aren't in any trouble as far as I can tell, and I have come with a gift."

"A gift?…" Harry asked, adjusting to sit up a bit better with the pillow as back support. "I'm afraid I don't understand. My magic attacked your son."

"And yet he remains unharmed." Narcissa replied, with a gently smile. "Your magic did not attack my son, even though it would have been justified in doing so. Instead, it just scared him, and you ended up hurting yourself instead."

"You're sure he's alright? That everyone is alright? No one's said, though I figure madam Pomfrey would flog anyone for not showing up here with an injury they knew she could treat." Harry asked, muttering that last part. It made her smile more, to see that he still had his humour.

"As far as I know, everyone is fine." Narcissa stated, easing his mind. "Besides, I would like you to meet Dobby."

"Dobby?" Harry asked, backing up a bit more into the wall almost when a pop sounded as Dobby arrived.

"Dobby, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Dobby." Narcissa said, in introduction. Harry's eyes turned to sadness, upon seeing Dobby, though she wasn't sure why just yet.

"Harry Potter?" Dobby asked in wonder, his already large eyes getting a bit bigger for it. "Harry Potter is great indeed, Mistress Malfoy."

"How would you like to be in the service of Harry Potter?" Narcissa asked, seeing that Harry's eyes had widened in shock and dread. "Would you like that?"

"Dobby would be honoured, Mistress Malfoy!" Dobby squeeked, in his excitement.

"You see, Harry dear, Lucius' father Abraxus was not kind to Dobby. I'm afraid he's been poorly mistreated." Narcissa explained, bringing his attention back to her. "We had thought to give him to Draco to be his personal House Elf, but I believe he needs someone with a more considerate touch, someone who already knows how one should and should not be treated, who already has a respect for life. Do you understand?"

"You want to _**give**_ him to me?" Harry asked, anger leaking through his voice. "Like he's _**property**?"_

_**"No!"**_ Dobby objected, fidgeting nervously. "House elf magic is strongest, healthiest, when tied to a witch or wizard's magic. It aids us, aids them."

"Like a partnership? Or a symbiotic relationship? Something that benefits both parties while harming neither side?" Harry asked. Dobby nodded enthusiastically. "What happens when the witch or wizard is bad? What happens when you want to be free?"

"Can't help it when a witch or wizard goes bad. Dobby can only be freed when master gives Dobby clothes." Dobby explained.

"And would you want that? To be free?" Harry asked, looking like he instantly regretted it because of how distressed Dobby got.

"Dobby would want to work whether free or not." Dobby explained, fidgeting more, looking to Narcissa as if to apologize. "Dobby just does not want to work for bad wizard. Last master was not kind."

"What would you say to clothes? To being paid?" Harry asked, with determination. Dobby looked even more distressed, and Narcissa thought she may have to intervene, but she wanted to see where Harry was going with this line of questioning.

"New master does not want Dobby?" Dobby asked, his eyes watering now.

"That's not what I mean at all, Dobby. I'm sure you're an excellent house elf." Harry stated, easing some of Dobby's tensions. "It's just…where I'm from, in the muggle world, servants are paid. They wear clothes, have days off, things like that. If…if I accept you as my house elf, would you agree to those things?"

"Why would new master want Dobby to wear clothes? Beings paid? Days off?" Dobby asked, in confusion.

"Like I said, where I'm from, it's what's done in the muggle world." Harry explained, patiently. "Servants wear uniforms. It can show status, who the servant works for. It can even convey the demand to be respected."

"Can it really?" Narcissa asked, curious as well.

"Nothing demands respect quite like a well tailored suit, Mrs. Malfoy. Same thing for wizards robes, I suppose." Harry replied to her with a bit of a smile, before returning his attention to Dobby. "In the muggle world, servants get paid, because they need to buy things just like anyone else. They wear clothes, just like everyone else, and they have days off, just like everyone else."

"Why would Dobby be needings days off?" Dobby asked, much less distressed than before, but still uneasy.

"Do you feel well all the time?" Harry asked Dobby, who reluctantly shook his head no. "That's part of why. Sometimes, when that happens, servants can take what we call a 'sick day' just like anyone else. It allows them to get well, so they can be their best later. If you work while you're sick, you can make it worse, and then you wouldn't be able to work at all, because you would be too sick, and it would take much longer to get better." Dobby looked even more distressed about that. "Sometimes, servants just need a day to relax and feel refreshed, so they can work even better, just like anyone else. Maybe they want to see family, or travel the world. Days off are to be spent how one wants, because that's what they're for."

"Would Harry Potter still call on Dobby during days off?" Dobby asked, curious.

"Only in an emergency." Harry said, trying to convey reassurance, but Dobby seemed to get more distressed. "But you would be the first person I would call to for help. Wouldn't even think of calling anyone else before you."

"If Dobby agrees to the clothes…" Dobby said slowly, as if testing the words. "and the beings paid…and the days off…Harry Potter would be Dobby's new master? Dobby would be a good house elf, and do everything Harry Potter said. Dobby would punish himself if he were bad, and…"

"What does that mean? Punish yourself?" Harry asked, crinkling his eyebrows. "I don't understand."

"Sometimes, old master made Dobby iron his own hands or his ears when he was bad, made him smack his head against something repeatedly." Dobby said, cringing with dread, pulling on his rather large droopy ears. Harry Potter looked horrified.

"No, Dobby. If we agree to this, you are **not** allowed to punish yourself by injuring yourself in any way." Harry stated, firmly. "You like to work, Dobby? Is that what you like to do best?"

"Yes, Harry Potter!" Dobby insisted happily, with big eyes. "Very much so!"

"Then…if we agree to this…me being your master, and you being my servant…" Harry said, looking like he was trying to decide how to say something. "…your punishment…should I decide you need it…would be to sit alone as you watch others work…for however long I decide. No harming yourself in any way. Is that understood?"

Dobby looked most distressed and yet relieved by that, and slowly nodded his head.

"Then I will agree to be your master." Harry Potter announced, with as much pride as an eleven year old can manage. "Do you, Dobby, agree to be my servant?"

"Agree? He has been _**ordered**_ to be." Lucius scoffed, as he walked into the room, interrupting the moment. Narcissa was most surprised when Harry narrowed his eyes at her husband.

"No offense, Mr. Malfoy, but no one asked _**you**,_ so kindly butt. out." Harry ordered. "This is _**Dobby's**_ decision, because it is Dobby's _**life**._ Even if he is being offered to me as a gift,_** I**_ will not take that choice from him."

"I will explain later, Dear." Narcissa promised, putting her hand on Lucius's arm to stop his objections of outrage.

"Dobby, you don't have to if you don't feel comfortable with this. I have given what must be some unusual conditions for you to accept, should you agree to be my servant." Harry insisted, kindly, surprising Lucius with the tone shift. "If you would like to stay with the Malfoy's, to serve Draco as was Lady Malfoy's original intention, you have my blessing to do so."

Dobby thought about this for a moment, before replying. "Dobby would like to serve Harry Potter."

"Very good." Harry said, with a smile. "Now, since I've been ordered to stay in bed till I get better, would you be so kind as to get me an owl order form from every shop in wizarding England? Don't forget Gringotts too, Dobby. There's an awful lot to do."

Dobby bowed, and was gone in a pop.

* * *

Draco was surprised to see that Potter was asleep when they got in. Potter's head was still bandaged up, and madam Pomfrey was checking over him. The look in her eyes was understood; Silence or else, it had said. So the three of them sat silently around the bed after madam Pomfrey left. That gave them the time to really look at Potter, to wonder what they were going to do now.

In all honesty, he hadn't wanted to come. Theo and Blaise had wanted to, and had convinced him to come along. Word was Weasley had already been up to see him, even the Granger girl had come to see him before any of the Slytherin's had. Uncle Severus had informed the rest of Slytherin House that Potter hadn't said a word, and that they should all think about what that means. He'd found out from his father that Dobby had been given to Potter, something he wasn't sure how he felt about.

"He looks _so…**small**."_ Draco said, quietly. "It's hard to believe all that power came from someone so little."

"Harry Potter will do great things." Dobby said, popping in, holding a ridiculous amount of owl order forms.

"Dobby?" Draco asked, in confusion. "Why do you _**have**_ all of those?"

"Master said there was much to do." Dobby explained, as he put the order forms in the drawer of the nightstand. "Dobby is to be getting uniforms, and days off, and even beings paid! Master said Dobby needed these things so he can work better, though Dobby does not fully understand why. Master Potter is a kind person, and will do great things, so Dobby will trust that Master Potter knows best."

"Won't you be free then?" Theo asked, taking the words right out of Draco's mouth.

"Master Potter said uniform would show others who Dobby served, free or not, said that uniform would command respect." Dobby explained. "Master Potter said days off will help Dobby work better. Dobby can take time off when Dobby is sick or wants to visit family. Dobby is not needings these things, but Dobby is glad that master Potter is kind enough to give them. Master Potter will not even let Dobby punish himself when he is bad. If Dobby is beings punished, he is to sit in the kitchens away from all the other house elves, and…and…watch them _**work!**"_

"Huh…" Blaise said, sitting back. "How is it none of our parents thought about that?"

"No idea." Theo said, also thinking about that. "It's bloody brilliant is what it is."

"Still more forms to get. I must be going." Dobby said, before popping out again.

"Mmm…" Potter groaned, before trying to sit up in the bed. "Was that Dobby?"

"Yeah, just what do you have him doing, Potter?" Draco asked, eyeing some of the forms in the night stand. "He came back with an arm full of those."

"I may have told him to get an owl order form from every shop in Wizarding England." Potter replied, sheepishly. "Why? Is that a lot?"

Draco took another look inside of the drawer, before commenting. "I'd say so." as nonchalantly as possible.

"So…you guy aren't mad?" Potter asked, his eyes widening at them. "I mean I…"

"Split the room in half?" Theo offered.

"Flooded the Slytherin dungeons?" Blaise continued, trying not to crack a grin.

"Gave the Weasley Twins a new pranking goal to reach?" Draco asked, after a moments thought.

"Any one of those will do." Potter tried to say judiciously, before they all descended into giggles. Then Potter groaned. "Flint's gonna kill me."

"Why?" Theo asked, a bit confused.

"Quidditch practice was supposed to start already." Potter groaned. "I can't go to practice till Madam Pomfrey lets me go. I don't even know if my broom's come in yet."

"Wait, so it's true? You are going to be the new Seeker? Flint's been keeping it under wraps, won't tell a soul." Theo exclaimed.

"Malfoy knew." Potter said, looking at them all. "I thought he told you."

"Didn't want to tell them. You only got that position because of me. Only I can't say anything or else I'll get into trouble." Draco grumbled. "You get rewarded."

"I got a 'do this or else you'll wish you were expelled', you idiot." Potter snapped, before groaning again as he held his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know." Draco admitted, surprising the others around him.

Potter gripped his head harder now, trying not to wince in pain.

"Should we get Madam Pomfrey?" Blaise asked.

"No! Get Professor Snape! Tell him Professor Quirrell is after something on the third floor." Potter said, even as he held his head. "Get Professor Snape! Go!"

* * *

Severus Snape was helping to clear the students out of the Great Hall when the three boys ran up to him. All of them were shouting at him at once, and he couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Finally, he pulled them to his office. They proceeded to be very insistent without really making any kind of sense. He finally hit the desk, sending a smacking sound throughout the now normal sized office.

"One at a time. In case you haven't noticed, there's a Troll in the Dungeon, No doubt the cracks in the foundation, thank to your little stunt that set off Potter, were what let it in." He snapped, hoping this would get them to calm down. "Now, one at a time."

"Potter said to come get you." Draco insisted. "He started holding his head in pain, about where that scar is."

"He said Professor Quirrell was after something on the third floor." Theo said, picking up where Draco left off.

"Alright, you three head towards the Great Hall. One of the Prefects will show you where to go." Severus ordered. "I'm going to go deal with whatever Potter saw Professor Quirrell doing."

* * *

Weasley was swiftly closing the door to a girls bathroom, though the boys had no idea why. He was halfway through bolting down the hallway when a loud scream erupted from the bathroom in question. Weasley's face went from pale to white as a sheet, and he looked back towards the bathroom, groaning as if he did not really want to go back. Several thumping sounds, and growling sound, and they realized what had happened. All three boys looked at each other, and then back at Weasley, who appeared to be frozen to the spot.

"Is that…Is that the Granger girl?" Draco asked, looking to Weasley. "Did you know she was in there when you locked the Troll in?"  
"What do you care, Malfoy?" Weasley growled. "For your information, no. I didn't know she was in there. Fat lot of good that does me now."

"We should get a teacher." Theo suggested.

"She'll be dead before they even get here." Blaise said, pragmatically.

"You and I could go, and Weasley and Draco could stay." Theo suggests. Another shrill scream interrupts his thoughts.

"No time." Draco insisted, shaking his head. Raising his wand, he adds "If this gets me killed, I'm coming back as a ghost and killing Potter."

* * *

Hermione can't believe her eyes! She'd been crying because Ron had to go and insult her. Just because he wouldn't listen to her advice, and didn't like feeling stupid, he'd gone and insulted her. Never mind that what he'd said was true. She had no friends, and now she was going to die because somehow a mountain troll had found its way into the girls lavatory.

She's plastered to the wall as if she could become one with it, her eyes locked on the creature raging in front of her. The troll is busy destroying the stalls at the moment. So, imagine her shock when she is literally summoned to the other side of the room. The troll begins to try and grab her, but before it can, the door is closed and locked. She is surprised to see Malfoy, Ron, Zabini and Nott, but she isn't about to ask questions just yet.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" Came the angry voice of her Head of House, suddenly there with them. Professors Snape, and Quirrell right behind her, both jolting when they hear the loud thumping of the Troll locked in the girls bathroom. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

"Please, Professor McGonagall…they were looking for me." She said, her voice coming out almost too quiet for her to hear. Malfoy and Ron's eyes get comically wide, something she would laugh about were they all not in the current situation they were in.

"Miss Granger!"

"I went looking for the troll because I…I thought I could deal with it on my own…you know, because I've read all about them." Hermione continued. It was no secret that she read a lot, and that she seemed to _**know**_ something once she'd read it.

Ron dropped his wand, and all three boys were looking at her with jaws dropped. She couldn't spare a look towards them though, as she would surely burst into a laughing fit if she saw them, and she was trying to outright lie to her Head of House. Hermione was certain that would destroy the charade right there if she just started laughing. A part of her couldn't believe she was doing this, lying to a teacher, but she owed them. They'd saved her life, and she knew it.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. They didn't have time to come fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." She explained, putting as much feeling and emphasis as she could into it.

"Well…in that case…" Professor McGonagall said, staring at them all. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head in shame. It was important she look as contrite as possible for this to work. After all, she was the last person to do anything against the rules, so this was already a hard sell, but she was also known as the know-it-all. That was what she was using right now, their belief that she really thought she could do anything once she read it in a book once. Professor McGonagall sighed, something tired if not exaggerated, and that's when Hermione knew she had her.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this." Professor McGonagall said. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

The next morning at breakfast, a letter came for her in the owl post. The writing on the outside was done in Slytherin green, so she had no doubt it had come from the three Slytherin boys that had helped her yesterday. Ron had already made his apologies for his behaviour, and locking her in the bathroom with a troll, so she'd decided he wasn't completely hopeless; She'd forgiven him the moment he'd said he was sorry. A few asked after the letter, but she waved them off, not wanting to share it. Only Ron got close enough to read it, and if he revealed what it said, she'd have to teach him a thing or two about privacy.

_Granger,_

_That was by far the most Slytherin thing I've ever seen, and it came from a Gryffindor. I didn't know you had it in you. Are you sure you're in the right house? We three snakes are in your debt, so try to think of something good. It's not often that any number of Slytherin owe a debt of gratitude to that of a Gryffindor._

It was not signed, but it did not have to be. Had this happened before, she would have turned her nose at it, but she'd become friends with Harry, and Harry was always going on about inter-house friendships. If he could work to befriend Gryfindors, she could work to befriend more than just the one Slytherin. Baby steps though, she decided. Zabini and Nott might openly welcome her company, but Malfoy might be harder to crack. Maybe she could start to get to know them all by inviting them to study with her, and work her way from there. She looked up, nodding with a smile to the three Slytherin in question. They would talk again soon, and she could ask then. In the meantime, breakfast waited for no one, especially if they sat next to a 'growing boy' Weasley who was now her friend too.


	5. Surprises and Blackmail

Chapter 5

Hari had only been let out of the hospital wing a few moments ago, when Flint cornered her. While he understood she'd been injured, quidditch waited for no one. She had one chance to prove to him that Professor Snape's words were true, and she'd better deliver. She'd barely made it into her seat for breakfast when the owl post began to arrive, and with it, her broom. Without a doubt, Hari knew that practice was going to be as grueling as Flint could make it without earning the ire of Madam Pomfrey.

That evening, her guess wasn't far off, but she loved every minute of it. Flying felt like freedom, like finally belonging somewhere. Flint and the rest of the team put her through the paces, treating her as they would a player from another team, and through that, they realized she could do the Wronski Feint, and a few other moves that had her looking like she was flying off her broom half the time. She'd actually flung her body up into the air while simultaneously pushing the broom down away from her in order to avoid a bludger.

The result was her floating in mid air, arms spread out like she was a fucking eagle for a split second, while the broom flipped once under her as it and she avoided the bludger. When she fell, she and the broom dropped a good few feet before pulling up again. Flint actually paused practice to ask her where in the bloody hell she'd learned that, because as far as he knew, the move didn't exist yet. She'd just been reacting on instincts, and said so, which just about made the older boy smile. The team was certainly a lot nicer to her after that, and she was left wondering if she'd created a new quidditch move.

She'd almost forgotten that Professor Snape wanted to see her in his office. It's not exactly like he'd made a formal appointment, but at the end of potions class a few days later, he'd let it be known that she would be meeting him in his office at the end of the school day. Hari'd been dreading it ever since. Flint (The Traitor) had even moved practice around so that she wouldn't have to miss it because of the meeting, which was a shame because she'd been planning on using him as the reason she couldn't make it to said meeting. At the end of the day, Hari'd resigned herself to her fate, and made her way to the office of her Head of House.

"Come in and sit down, Potter." Professor Snape stated, when she poked her head through the open door. Hari did just that, after closing the door of course, but the office was designed to make the person in front of his desk as uncomfortable as possible. "How is it that no one has noticed you aren't what they think you are?"

"I have no idea." Hari admitted. Professor Snape went to object, but she held up her hand to stop him. "I'm not making this up. I literally have no idea."

"What do you mean?" Professor Snape asked, confused and intrigued all at once. "Walk me through this, Potter."

Hari explained meeting Hagrid, going through Diagon Alley, and how everyone instantly thought she was a boy. She'd not gone out of her way to make people think that, but she hadn't corrected them either. She wasn't sure it would have done any good. Madam Milkin's had even given her boys robes, and if anyone should have been made aware of her not being a boy, it was that woman, and yet, the woman had carried on oblivious. Even Hogwarts had set her up in a boys dorm.

"I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and no one's noticed." Hari insisted, after she'd explained it all. "Dudley was the only one to seem to understand that I wasn't a boy, but I don't know why he would know, and not Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. They always referred to me as 'Boy'. I thought it was just to be degrading, but maybe they got someone else to change my nappies or something. Madam Pomfrey knew, but I don't know if that's because Professor Dumbledore told her or all of those scans she did."

"That reminds me, Potter. The potions that she gave you were a higher concentration than what would normally be seen for someone of any gender at your age." Professor Snape pointed out, making little notes she couldn't see. "How long have they been treating you…as your classmates have put it…like a house elf?"

"You're going to make me relive everything, aren't you?" Hari asked, defensively. She didn't want to be so honest when she knew what it got her last time.

"If need be, yes." Professor Snape stated, coolly. "If I am to get a full understanding of the situation, then yes, Potter, I must know everything."

"Then you might as well send a note to Flint to cancel practice instead of just moving it around." Hari stated, trying not to shake. "This is going to take a while, Professor."

* * *

"I hardly think-" Severus began to object, when she stood up and shoved her hand close to his face. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed small scars scattered across her hand, and took it into his own for close inspection. "Potter, what were these caused by?"

"Shards of a tea cup." Hari replied, matching his earlier cold tone. "Like I said, Professor, this is going to take a while."

What followed after that was something Severus wished never to relive ever again. Potter stripped down to her shorts and a tank top, and proceeded to explain every scar she had. What shocked him was how detached she was about it all. She used the same tone as she talked about each scar she had, how she'd gotten it, as one would when talking about the weather. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the cupboard under the stairs.

She kept referring to it as if it was both a safe place and her punishment at the same time, and he couldn't understand that. When he asked for more clarification on that, he was presented with something else he wished he didn't know. A literal cupboard under the stairs; that had been her bedroom and where they sent her without meals for however long they chose whenever something freakish happened. The girl hadn't even known about magic till Hagrid broke into the cabin her uncle had hidden them in! Savior of the Wizarding World, and she'd been kept ignorant of everything, even what she was.

"Is that all, Professor?" She asked, after she'd finished putting on her school robes.

"Yes, Potter, that…that is all for now." Severus replied, still trying to process everything she'd told him. "I will let you know if there is anything else. I have to ask though…Why are you so casual about all of this?"

"Because at the end of the day, Professor, I know that I'll have to return to them at the end of the school year." Potter explained. She left, nearly bumping into Minerva on her way out.

"How much of that did you hear?" Severus asked, not bothering to look over to the woman.

"Enough to know her childhood has not been a kind one." Minerva admitted with a tired sigh, as she sat where Potter had been. "Albus will not change his mind. I've tried over the years, Severus. He is convinced Potter is safest there."

"Blood Wards keep her safe, but they can't keep her safe from _**them**__,_ and she has to return to them at the end of the school year." Severus said, shaking his head. "If I hadn't been so bloody stupid, Lily might…"

"She would not have wanted you to wallow like this, Severus." Minerva scolded him, though there was no bite to it. "No matter the arguments, the insults, or your attempts at pushing her away from you, you remained one of her closest friends."

"That doesn't change this!" Severus snapped, referring to the mark on his arm. "If I hadn't been so bloody stupid, this wouldn't be on my arm. I wouldn't have been there to overhear half of that bloody prophecy, wouldn't have caused Lily's death because of it. She's dead because of me, and her daughter is forced to live with muggles who hate and abuse her. How am I suppose to look the other way when I know what's happening now?"

"I don't know, Severus." Minerva said, with a sigh. "I just don't know."

* * *

The two actually sat together during the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match, sitting near Lee Jordan who was acting as the announcer; biased though he was, he was certainly amusing, not that she would ever admit that. Since that day in his office, the two had struck up a friendship, both having long since become disenchanted with how Dumbledore chose to do things. Severus had warned her to watch out for Quirrell, that the man was a danger, but she could hardly see how with the way he stuttered so much. Potter had had a vision of the nervous professor trying to break in to the door on the 3rd corridor, and neither one had gone to Dumbledore with it. Eventually, she knew Potter would work out who had placed her with the Dursleys, and Minerva could only wonder what the young girl's reaction would be to that bit of information, when Severus nudge her subtly.

"Something is wrong. Look." He said, quietly, gesturing towards Potter. Something was indeed wrong, as the broom looked like it was trying to buck her off! "Someone's jinxing the broom."

"Can you counter it?" Minerva asked, having gone pale at the realization of what could happen to Potter should they not find a solution in time.

"I can try. Look for someone who's also staring at Potter, someone muttering like I will be. Constant eye contact is needed to maintain a jinx like this one." Severus instructed quietly, before beginning to mutter the counter jinx to keep Potter on the broom.

The game had all but stopped up in the air, the Weasley twins trying to help her onto one of their brooms, but the broom she was on flew ever higher each time they tried. Both Wood and Flint were coordinating their teams into a pattern below her now, in the hopes of trying to catch her before she could hit the ground should she fall. All of a sudden, Potter was able to get back up on her broom, and the match continued on. Minerva and Snape both looked around to try and see what had happened, and saw Crabbe and Goyle apologizing profusely to the mumbling professor a few rows below them. It seems they'd knocked the man down trying to get to their Head of House, and had stopped to help the man up.

The match was won, with Slytherin in the lead by one hundred and fifty points, but Minerva couldn't be bothered to be sad about the match. They'd just witnessed the near death of a students at the hands of a professor, and neither one had any idea on what to do about it. Albus wouldn't see reason, she already knew this, but there had to be something they could do to protect Potter. What she couldn't figure out was why Quirrell of all people would want Potter dead. She resolved to watch over the professor herself, and between her and Severus, surely they would catch him doing something.

* * *

As it turns out, winning the quidditch match helped to warm her Slytherin classmates to her considerably. They also discovered that if they were nice to her house elf, they got extra cinnamon on the foam of their butterbeers. Tracy Davis couldn't stop gushing about how adorable Dobby looked in his little robes, well, as much as a Slytherin could gush while looking dignified. To be fair, Dobby looked absolutely adorable, happily serving those who were nicest to him, in the most dignified manner he could. He had taken to the robes quite well, Hari was glad to say, honoured to serve the house of Potter.

It certainly raised some eyebrows when the upper years saw him. Hari paid it no mind, determined to enjoy the night. Flint made sure the team went to bed at a decent hour, what with school tomorrow. It was strange how scholastically oriented the quidditch captain was, but Hari found it refreshing. She was almost to the dorm room, when Crabbe and Goyle stopped her.

"Sorry to corner you like this, Potter, but with all the ruckus of the party going on, I didn't think you'd be able to hear us." Crabbe said, and Hari slowly lowered her suspicions. "We know who jinxed your broom at today's match."

"You do?!" Hari asked, instantly on alert.

"It was Quirrell." Goyle insisted. "Malfoy said to watch him because you'd had a vision or something of him doing something bad, so we did. Didn't think we'd find anything, but then today's match happened."

"What's weird is we can't figure out why he'd jinx your broom." Crabbe stated. "I mean, if he wanted you dead or something. There were other opportunities, in class even, to do that."

"Also, we should probably apologize ahead of time." Goyle added. "I know you're friends with that Ronald Weasley, but he kept saying it was Professor Snape, and when we insisted it wasn't him, things got a bit…heated? Physical? I had to punch a rat! The thing bit me!"

"Did you go to madam Pomfrey for the bite?" Hari asked, with widened eyes.

"Professor Snape took care of it for me." Goyle replied. "I know we look a bit stupid, and people often overlook us, but if you ever need anything, Crabbe and I will try to help."

"You're not stupid. You're in Slytherin for a reason. It's other people's fault if they underestimate you." Hari stated. "Thanks for letting me know about Quirrell. Did you tell Professor Snape?"

"While he was taking care of the bite." Crabbe explained.

"And don't worry about Ron." Hari said. "He's a bit hot headed, and I doubt I'll get him to stop bugging Slytherin's, but he means well. Granger should help me straighten him out. I'd bet half the galleons in my vault she's done research on what a counter jinx looks like."

"Granger?" Crabbe asked, "But she's-"

"Just like my Mum." Hari interrupted him. "Muggleborn and Gryffindor. That girl is well on her way to being brightest in our year, and I for one am going to be in her study group tomorrow so I can get her help with Charms. A mind like that should not be lost to us simply because she's in another House. You two can join me if you like. I'm bringing one of those boxes of fruits and sweets that Mrs. Malfoy keeps sending me."

They nodded, letting her know they would consider it, and left. She continued on to the dorm she shared with Malfoy and the others, letting them know what she found out from Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy grumbled something about not needing the thanks when she thanked him. He too looked at her funny when she announced she was going to Grangers study group tomorrow, more so when she invited her three dorm mates to go as well. Theo said he might go, but Blaise didn't want to study on a weekend so he wasn't so sure yet.

"Why are you so willing to befriend other Houses, Potter?" Malfoy asked.

"Other than that it took me wrecking Slytherin House, and catching a snitch, in order to get them to pay attention to me?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him. He had the decency to look sheepish at that. "Think of it like networking, if you want. Hermione's brilliant, rough around the edges, but we're eleven so we're all a bit like that. I don't know if you know this, but she's currently kicking most of our arses in just about everything. Neville LongBottom is currently King of Herbology. With a bit of confidence, I'm willing to bet he could make potion master some day, if he wanted. The Weasley Twins are way more Slytherin than they let on. Just think about all the pranks they get away with. We only hear about a quarter of the ones they've actually done. Besides them, I have a network of people I can go to for information in any House, simply because I'm _**nice**_ to them."

"You're a Slytherin, in case you didn't notice. You know, Cunning? Devious? Use any means?" Malfoy pointed out.

"Yes, and?" Hari asked. "Just how wide is your information network? Does using Crabbe and Goyle in intimidation tactics work well for you?"

"You're telling me your information network does things for you simply because you're nice to them?" Malfoy asked, clearly not understanding. "No threatening them with blackmail or bodily harm? No fear tactics or bribes?"

"Not really, unless you count telling Crabbe and Goyle there will be chocolate at the next study group Hermione is hosting." Hari said, thinking over it. "You kind of took care of the fear bit. I don't have to tell people I cracked the foundations of Hogwarts, but they know I did it. Add that to me being nice, and they're just glad I'm on their side."

* * *

Hermione was surprised to have so many people at her study group. She'd invited Harry and a few others, but Harry had brought not only Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini, but Crabbe and Goyle as well. Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot from RavenClaw came, and Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones of HufflePuff showed up as well. She'd brought Ron, and Neville with her of course. Dean Thomas had asked if he could come too, considering he'd needed help in D.A.D.A.

In total, there were nearly fifteen people. Madam Pince, the librarian, directed them to a quite section of the library they could use for such a large study group. Harry brought out the chocolates and the fruits, and they all brought out their various homework assignments, and got to work. It was amazing having a group of people there who wanted to learn. Ron complained the whole time about all the snakes at the table, but had no trouble dipping his hand into the box of sweets.

Hermione laughed when the box started to bite back because he wasn't doing any work. After that, he cracked down on his school work. Apparently no studying meant no sweets. She also wasn't blind to the fact that Harry had brought most of these people here, and wondered how he'd done it. It also wasn't lost on her that Harry casually asked how one could tell a counter jinx from a jinx, something she was now curious about herself as Ron kept insisting that Snape was the one who'd jinxed Harry's broom.

After Study group was over, she noticed Harry talk to several of the students about their plans for the Holiday, getting their addresses so he could send presents. What kind of boy thought about things like that this early? She watched Malfoy watch Harry's interactions with the other students, almost like he was trying to crack some kind of puzzle. She couldn't understand it either, but she couldn't deny the results. Apparently using any means could include kindness, who knew?

"Ron, Hermione, what are your plans for the holidays?" Harry asked, looking to the pair of them. "I already made sure to ask Neville, and a few of the others."

"I'm going home for the holidays." Hermione replied. "What about you?"

"Not sure yet." Harry said, nervously scratching at the back of his neck.

"I'll probably stay here. Mom and Dad plan to visit Charlie in Romania." Ron replied. "It won't be too bad though. Lots of people stay over the holidays."

"Christmas in a Castle like Hogwarts sounds kind of nice actually." Harry admitted. "Well, I've got to go. Headmaster sent a note saying he wanted to meet with me for something. I've never been called up there before. You?"

"No, but maybe he just wants to talk with you about what happened at the quidditch match." Hermione suggested.

"Or the foundation thing." Ron chimed, with a slight grin. "Blimey, do you know how green with envy Fred and George were when they heard about that?"

"I can almost imagine." Harry replied with a snort. "Wish me luck!"

* * *

"Professor Dumbledore?" Hari called out, as she walked up the steps.

"Ah yes, Hari Potter, I'd been meaning to talk with you for some time." Albus stated, with a sigh. "How has Slytherin House been treating you?"

"I'm not in trouble?" Hari asked, looking rather confused, before sitting down in the chair in front of his desk. "I did wreck part of Hogwarts, Sir."

"On, no, hardly in trouble at all." He said, waving his hand as if to brush off the worry. He wanted to make sure that she didn't know that he knew. "Lemon Drop? I find I'm rather fond of them myself."

"That's alright, Professor, I'm not sure I should eat anymore." Hari hedged. "As for Slytherin House, it isn't easy, but I think I'll be alright."

"I had heard stories of bullying, something about Harry the House Elf, and several pranks resulting in the destruction of parts of Hogwarts, and you want to stay?" Albus asked, knowing that these were the worst memories for her.

"The Sorting Hat chose this House for me." Hari stated, sticking to her choice, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Things are getting better, and no one there is as bad as the Dursleys are."

"And you wouldn't choose to be resorted? Even if there were secrets they could use against you?" Albus asked, dangerously close to revealing his hand now. "I'm sure Gryffindor would suit someone of your calliber better. Wouldn't you?"

"If I left Slytherin because of bullying, that wouldn't be very brave of me, Professor. That's hardly worthy of a Gryffindor." Hari stated, stubbornly. "Besides, secrets are the currency in Slytherin, I hear. I should be just fine, but I thank you for your concern, Professor."

"Hari, I really feel like you should be resorted. The dangers to you in that House are most grave." Albus tried, siting concern for her safety. She didn't go for the veiled threat, so maybe sympathy would do.

"I face worse dangers than them at home with the Dursleys, but I notice that you haven't asked at all what I mean by that, Professor. Those rumours you heard would have also come with my accounts of the Dursley's treatment of me." Hari stated, her tone taking something of a threatening air to it. "You can't force me to be resorted, and if that's the only reason why you asked me up here, I really should be going. Professor Snape will be wondering why I'm out so close to curfew."

"Of course. Forgive the worries of an old man." Albus replied, kindly. He stood and moved around the desk so as to stand near her but not so close as to feel threatening. "We wouldn't want you to be out past curfew. It was very nice to see you again, Hari Potter."

* * *

Draco, Theo, and Blaise were reviewing the notes they'd taken in Granger's study group when Potter walked into the room in a daze. He looked like something had petrified him, walking through the room like ghost. He didn't seem to hear them when they called out to him, choosing to hide himself away under the canopy of his bed. When Draco pulled back the canopy to try and talk sense into him, he was faced with that tiny curled up ball he'd given the dreamless sleep to before. He looked to Theo and Blaise, unsure of what to do

"Get Professor Snape." Draco stated, looking to Blaise. "Something's happened to Potter, and I don't think we're equipped to deal with it."

"I'm fine. There's no need to call Professor Snape." Potter tried to object, as Blaise left to get the man in question. "I'm fine. Really."

"Potter, you're as white as a sheet and you're shaking." Draco pointed out. "Not to mention you're curled up in a ball right now while trying to insist everything's fine."

"Alright, you three, what is it this time?" Professor Snape asked, when he got to the room. Draco pointed to Potter. "I can't be bothered every time you've upset the boy. Work it out!"

"He just come back from a meeting with Dumbledore." Draco stated. "Walked in here like some kind of inferi, and hid away in there."

"Meeting with Dumbledore?" Professor Snape asked, in confusion, and then it was like something struck him. "Potter, what did the Headmaster say to you?"

Potter struggled to sit up, but couldn't look at anyone.

"Dumbledore asked how Slytherin House was treating me." Potter said, after a moment, his voice sounding deadened and far off. "I thought I was in trouble, destruction of property, but he asked that instead. Offered a lemon drop. I didn't take one."

"It's a good thing you didn't. He laces them with Veritaserum." Professor Snape stated. "I ate a whole mouthful just to get him to shut up about them once. Left the meeting as soon as I could, but not before shouting at him things I wish I could have kept to myself or at least said differently. Go on."

"I told him things were fine. Rough start, but fine." Potter said, his voice still sounding odd. "He mentioned he'd heard stories of bullying, Harry the House Elf, and asked if I wanted to stay in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat chose this House for me. I'm not about to quit now, but he…didn't blink when I mentioned the Dursleys, kept asking if I wanted to be resorted. I have secrets that Slytherin could use against me, wouldn't it be better in Gryffindor? Felt it best I be resorted, he said, there were dangers to my being in Slytherin House. Tried to brush it off as the worries of an old man."

"Potter, when you have a meeting with the Headmaster again, and you can be sure it will happen again, stop by to see me first." Professor Snape explained. "All meetings with the Headmaster are to have their Heads of House present. That you did not, is troublesome. I will be having words with the Headmaster about his breach in protocal later."

"I didn't mean to cause trouble, Professor." Potter said. "Maybe I should just tell them."

"That is your own decision to make, Potter, and certainly not one to be made while you're in a panic." Professor Snape stated. "Now, I believe I have a meeting with the Headmaster to get to."

With that, he left, and Draco and the others were left wondering what to do.

"So, what did you say after Dumbledore told you Slytherin's might use your secrets against you?" Blaise asked.

"Secrets are the currency of Slytherin, so I should be fine." Potter replied, with a secretive smile. "I probably should tell you all what it is, but since I haven't lied, and no one's guessed, I'm kind of just waiting till the House of Cunning figures it out. The Weasley Twins will be pulling out their hair when they realize what I've been getting away with."

"Even bigger than the cracked room?" Theo asked, mildly intrigued.

"Much bigger." Potter admitted.

* * *

Narcissa's eyes widened suddenly, and she bolted from her comfy sitting room. The letter she'd just gotten from Draco implied a great deal of danger to one Hari Potter, and from their own headmaster no less. Because the boy had not been sorted into Gryffindor, his plans were ruined; at least, that was her guess. He didn't have all his chess pieces in one setting, and now he was having to think of ways around that. Resorting?! The idea is so preposterous, she can not even think it, but leaving the boy alone at that place for the holidays even with Severus there was out of the question.

"Lucius! Draco wants to know if we can invite Hari Potter over for the holidays." Narcissa exclaimed as soon as she'd entered the room. "Dumbledore is trying to pressure Potter into being resorted into Gryffindor, used some kind of blackmail trying to force the issue, but Potter didn't budge. I fear if we do not do something, he will force the issue even with Severus there."

"What kind of blackmail could that old goat have on Potter?" Lucius asked. "Can he even force a resorting?"

"I don't know, but we have to do something." Narcissa insisted.

"Alright, if you think it's worth it, send Draco the reply." Lucius agreed, after a moment. "Besides, getting one over on the supposed Leader of the Light would actually be something, wouldn't it?"

"Besides that, Draco gets a friend to stay for the holidays and _**you**_ can talk about muggle things with Hari Potter." Narcissa mused, chuckling when Lucius groaned. "I'm teasing you, darling, but it wouldn't hurt to hear it from the boy how the muggles he lives with treats him. If we happen to learn about other things muggles do, then that is simply more information we have."

She tried not to laugh as he groaned again, choosing to hide behind a newspaper instead of responding to her.

* * *

After being chewed out by both Severus and Minerva, Albus Dumbledore was not looking to have any more visitors that day. He may have put too much pressure on Hari. What else did he expect her to do but panic and call for her Head of House? What he hadn't expected was for Severus, who hated Potters as a rule, to come to her defense. Then again, he seemed to be coming to Hari's defense a lot, now that she was in his House.

Rubbing his temples, hoping to stave of the headache he could feel coming on, Albus thought over the meeting. He hadn't meant to be so heavy handed when he'd revealed that she could be blackmailed, but everything he did was for the greater good. If Hari remained in the House of Slytherin, she would surely turn dark. The girl may be Light now, but how long could she stay that way with Darkness surrounding her. He could not allow himself to think of her treatment at the Dursleys, which she claimed was worse than the treatment from Slytherin House. How such a thing could even be possible, he did not know, but the Blood Wards had to be taken into account.

When he saw that her name was on the list for people staying during the holiday break, he thought he had another chance to sway her. The next day, however, he saw that the list had changed. Her name was no longer on it. It meant either she would be going home to the Dursleys, or she would be visiting one of the dark families. While he knew one of them treated her horribly, he felt the other possibility was far worse than anything she could indure with a muggle family.

* * *

"Potter, pack a bag or something." Malfoy stated, once he'd finished reading the latest letter from his mother. "I think my mother is trying to adopt you."

"She writes me plenty, you know, almost as much as Dudley, and not once has she mentioned adopting me." Hari replied with a snort.

She was currently looking over a letter from Dudley. From what she could tell, he was doing well in school, and had started running to get fit. After having his eyes opened that summer, he wasn't so keen on looking like his father. The boy wasn't sure how he would maintain the running and the diet over the holidays, what with his mother willing to give him whatever he wanted. No matter how strong someone's will was, having a mother who would give you anything you wanted was too good to pass up, and he knew it; The only thing she could think of was to maybe get his mother in on the running, and give her the extra portions he was trying not to eat. Hari doubted very much that Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon would ever come to love her, but maybe they could start treating their son like a child instead of like a spoiled prince.

"She wants to invite you over for the holidays." Malfoy whispered. "Thinks you might be safer with us than here alone."

"They would do that? I thought your father hated me. Isn't he one of those…those…" Hari stammered, not sure why she was so nervous now.

"Well, yeah, but this is a chance to show him all that stuff you were talking about before, right? Besides, Uncle Snape was one too, and you like him well enough." Malfoy insisted. "It's either that, or take your chances with the old goat. What do you say? My mother is probably anxiously waiting on the next owl."

That's how Hari found herself packing a bag. Dobby was going with them, of course, and they would be seen off by their Head of House, who she learned had feigned ignorance to this whole plan whenever Dumbledore asked after her. They were waiting in Professor Snape's office when the fire behind them turned green, and out walked a tall blond man. His hair was the same colour as Malfoy's, so she could only assume this was his father. He looked them both over before nodding to Professor Snape.

"Narcissa is waiting." Lord Malfoy stated, as way of greeting, though it was not unkind. It was actually kind of endearing. "She said something about the House Elves having the time of their lives, whatever that means, and if either of you needs to go shopping, I wish you the best of luck. My wife can make shopping into a sport, or war. I will not come to your rescue, as that would result into my being drafted into the war as well, and I rather detest shopping to that degree."

"I actually do need to go shopping, just a few things, but I'm sure I could handle a shopping trip with Lady Malfoy." Hari replied. "I haven't had the time to go through all those owl order forms, and it would be nice to see the places I will be ordering from in the future."

"His first order to Dobby was to get an owl order form from every shop in wizarding England." Malfoy remarked with a snort.

"I had no idea there were so many." She admitted, sheepishly.

"Well, come along, children. Severus, will we be seeing you over the holiday's?" Lucius asked, while the children quickly gathered their things a bit better.

"Maybe, if only to get away from the castle for a few days." Severus admitted. "If you could stay for a few moments, Lucius, there is something I need to discuss with you."

"Of course. Potter, have you traveled via Floo network before?" Lucius asked, and she shook her head no. "Alright, just take a bit of this powder here, and toss it into the fire. State 'Malfoy Manor' into it, and then walk through. You can go at the same time Draco does if you're nervous about it. I will be along shortly."


	6. Preparing for the Holidays

Chapter 6

Hari decided that she quite liked traveling via Floo network, and wonders if she can scare Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia with it. Dobby followed soon after, taking their things to the rooms Lady Malfoy had assigned to them. Malfoy was a lot more lively here, something that surprised her, as he had always tried to maintain an aloof air when at school. She was unsure about all the portraits in the halls, knowing that the ones at Hogwarts spied for the Headmaster, wondering if these spied for Lord and Lady Malfoy in the same way. Lady Malfoy was suddenly there in front of them both, happily welcoming them into her home.

"My Dragon, it is good to have you home." The woman said, hugging her son, her black hair with blonde streaks in it spilling over him as she did so. Her attention turned to Hari when she let go of Malfoy. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Hari Potter. How have you and Dobby been getting along?"

"Dobby has been very kind, and you should see him in his little robes." Hari said, unable to hold in a grin. "He's adorable."

"House elves aren't supposed to be _**adorable**__,_ Potter." Malfoy groaned, rolling his eyes at her. About that time, Dobby popped into the room, little robes and all.

"Dobby has put your things in the room Lady Malfoy assigned for you, Harry Potter." Dobby stated, happily. "If it is alright with Little Master, Dobby would like to visit with some of the elves in the manor. Dobby has missed them."

"Go ahead, Dobby." Hari replied, an with a pop, Dobby was gone. "See? Adorable."

"He really is." Lady Malfoy admitted, with a conspiratorial grin, just as Lord Malfoy entered the room through the Floo Network.

"This one." He said, pointing to Hari. "claims the need to go holiday shopping. I thought you would like to accompany him while I have a bit of time alone with Draco before things get too hectic."

"If you don't mind, Lady Malfoy, I may also need to go to Gringotts as well." Hari stated, causing both adults to look at her in curiosity. "The note they sent with the owl order form I asked Dobby to get said they needed to meet with me about some discrepancies in the account. I've only ever been there one time, with Hagrid to get money for my school supplies. I don't know why, but I'm worried, especially with everything that's happened here recently."

"Of course, we'll go there first thing." Lady Malfoy stated, comfortingly. "And please, call me Narcissa, or Cissa for short if you like."

* * *

"Father?" Draco asked, more than a little confused as he looked to his Father. He'd fully expected to go with Potter to see if the boy could truly handle one of his Mother's all day shopping trips.

"Before I left his office, Severus told me something very disturbing, something I'm hoping you can shed light on." Lucius stated, in a tired tone. He moved them to his study, a place Draco had always found comfortable because of the smell of books. "What do you know of Potter's treatment with the muggles who have custody of him?"

"Not much. After we started making fun of him for it, he stopped talking about them." Draco admitted. "He talked about missed meals, cooking and cleaning for them, and something about a cupboard under the stairs. Why?"

"Because, if your godfather is right, Hari Potter can not stay with those muggles for much longer. Some secrets can not hide forever, no matter how well they are kept, and according to your godfather, Potter is sitting on one hell of a time bomb of a secret." Lucius explained, holding up his hand before Draco could ask what it was. "I do not know what it is, and your godfather will not tell you as it is not his secret to tell, but he suspects that harm could come to Potter should he stay with the Dursleys for more than a year or two after this. He thinks there is a charm of some kind on the child that will hold for now, but with the Headmaster trying to blackmail Potter, Severus doesn't expect it to hold for as long as it normally would. He suspects the headmaster of having placed the charm on Potter himself, as that is the only way he could have known about it ahead of time to try and blackmail the boy with it. If that is true, he is the only one, other than Potter, that could remove it. The year or two Severus predicts that Potter has, may be too generous of an estimate, if that is the case."

"You want me to try and get Potter to tell me the secret? Will it help protect him?" Draco asked, in confusion. That Potter had such a secret was not news to him, that it was such a dangerous secret was. "What are you and Mother planning, Father?"

"Nothing at the moment. I want to run a few things by your mother first, as she may already have plans of her own." Lucius admitted. Draco was about to leave the room when his father stopped him. "If Potter's secret could cost him his life, what would you suggest we do?"

"I don't know." Draco huffed, because he hadn't planned on thinking this hard over holiday break. "It's weird how Slytherin and completely un-Slytherin he is. I mean, he isn't even mean to anyone! He's nice, shares his chocolates he gets from Mother during study groups with that Granger girl, wants to help people when they get injured, and yet…his information network is _**better**_ than mine! He uses niceness the way a normal Slytherin would use threats, and it's annoying, but it works and I don't understand it. I mean, he even talks to the HufflePuffs! _**HufflePuff's**__!_ That's Slytherin social suicide, and he doesn't care! I went to one of those study groups, and there was someone from every house. I mean, it was Granger's study group, but it was clear that Potter had brought most of the people."

"So if your mother decided to adopt the boy, you would have no objections other than his using niceness as a Slytherin weapon?" Lucius asked, with a crooked sort of smile.

"If he doesn't at least become an ally of the House of Malfoy, we will never live it down." Draco grumbled, but then brightened up for a second. "Oh! You have to see this. Dobby!"

"Mister Draco?" Dobby asked, popping into the study. "Dobby is happy to be seeing the youngest Malfoy so soon."

"Thank you kindly, Dobby. I'm glad Potter treats you so well. You are sure to be a credit to the House of Potter." Draco said, making sure to sound as nice as he could. It certainly got a raised eyebrow from his father. "Listen, I know you don't serve the House of Malfoy anymore, but could I trouble you for a warm Butterbeer for me and my father? He hasn't had it like you serve it in the Slytherin dungeons, and I don't think Potter will object, seeing as how my parents both insisted he not spend the holidays alone."

"Of course, Mister Draco, sir!" Dobby said, happily, and popped out of the room.

"Draco, what are you doing? Why didn't you just order one of the Malfoy elves to get you something?" Lucius asked, clearly confused.

"Just wait. I'm telling you, you really have to see this." Draco replied, with a grin. "This is one of Potter's _**nice**_ things I was just telling you about. You won't believe the difference in the quality of Butterbeer." Just then, Dobby popped back into the room.

"Here you go, Mister Draco, Lord Malfoy." Dobby said, and the butterbeers appeared on the desk for them, complete with foam and cinnamon.

"Thank you, Dobby." Draco said, kindly. "I'm sorry for pulling you away from your visit with the Malfoy elves."

"It is no bother, Mister Draco, Dobby was happy to help." Dobby insisted, before popping out of the room.

"Draco, what is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked.

"Try it. You'll think you died and went to heaven." Draco insisted, already enjoying his butterbeer. Lucius tried the butterbeer in front of him, before looking over at Draco in shock for a moment, then happily returning to the beverage.

"This is all from being nice to a _**house**_ _**elf**_?" Lucius asked, in surprise. "This is the best butterbeer I've had since my own days at Hogwarts. You're telling me _**niceness**_ gets Potter these better quality things?"

"_**All the time.**_" Draco stated, groaning at the obsurdity of it all. "It's abysmal how much more he can get done by simply being nice."

* * *

They did not have to wait long to be seen, but Narcissa had to wait out in the Lobby as she was not the Potter boy's legal guardian. The meeting took longer than she thought it would though, and there was an awful lot of commotion a few minutes after Hari disappeared into a side room. The Goblins had called for the Potter, the Black, and the Peverell heir rings; something she filed away for later. No one had been able to claim the Peverell heir ring in years, but if her hunch was right, Potter just did. She wondered what the inconsistencies in Potter's account was, and if it had anything to do with what she'd just witnessed.

Potter eventually walked back into the lobby, looking intensely distracted and unsure of himself. He also looked a lot more troubled than he had when he went in there. The way he looked at her when he finally got out of the meeting, it was like he was looking for something. Hoping that it couldn't be as bad as all that, she led them out of Gringotts, and into Florean Forescue's ice Cream Parlour. As it was the holidays it was busy, but not so busy that they would be over crowded.

"This place has some of the best ice cream." She said, answering his confused gaze when he looked up at her. "You have Christmas shopping to do, and you'll need your head on straight for that. Nothing like a good milkshake to do just that."

"He…" Hari tried to say, but couldn't find the words.

"Dear, if it's as bad as your face says it is, it's best we discuss this once we get back to the Manor." Narcissa warned him, cautiously looking around her. "Less ears that way."

After the milkshake, his demeanor was much better. She'd asked Florean to put extra chocolate into it just in case. The boy was right as rain in no time, and the two left Florean's to do their Christmas shopping. A lot of Hari's friends would be getting their gifts from Flourish and Blotts. She saw him set up tabs for three separate people while they were there, and pick up a nice stationary and quill set.

As she did not need to do her Christmas shopping, she watched over him, making sure no one else looked to closely at The-Boy-Who-Lived. They visited a wide variety of shops, and surprisingly enough, he'd convinced her to cross over into the muggle world to do a bit of shopping there. He took them to a book store, where he bought a wide variety of muggle literary classics, scientific achievements, prank books, and cook books. They neatly hid those away in the other shopping bags, which thankfully had extension charms on them so they could carry more, when no one was looking. After that, there was a muggle sweets shop, which Hari spent a good deal of money in.

There was a moment where she felt a level of panic she'd only ever felt with Draco, when she lost sight of Hari Potter. He'd said something about stepping into a shop, and then he was gone. She couldn't remember which shop, and couldn't risk a point me spell here. Hari showed up moments later all smiles, but by then Narcissa had already gone into a panic. Thankful that he was alright, she quickly ended their muggle portion of the trip, and they returned to the Leaky Cauldron.

When they got back to Diagon Alley, Hari apologized for disappearing. He'd been so use to going off on his own, that he hadn't thought anything of it. The more he rambled, the more Narcissa wondered if there was something else bothering him. As they walked down Diagon Alley, the boy went from rambling to sullen to chewing on his bottom lip. Now that she wasn't panicking on the inside, Narcissa noticed that Hari looked like he wanted to ask something.

"Hari, dear, if you bite your lip any more, you'll end up eating it." Narcissa noted, pulling him out of his thoughts. "What is it? Is there something you want?"

"I'm fine…Really…I just…" Hari tried to deny, but Narcissa gave him a pointed look, and Hari caved. "My eyes…I know that there are limitations to magic, but…Is there any way they can be fixed?"

"Why didn't you say so, dear?" Narcissa asked, in instant understanding. "We can make that our last stop before we go back to the Manor."

The eye wizard was a specialist in Knockturn Alley. After a quick examination, the wizard in question made a potion for him. A few drops in the eyes for the next few days, and it would repair the needed tissue to correct his vision. His vision would be fully corrected before Christmas. It was strange that he wanted to keep the old frames though, like he thought he would still need them or something, placing charms on them to become fake lenses when his eyes fully healed.

* * *

"Mrs. Mal…I mean, Cissa? Do you think I can speak to you and Mr. Malfoy?" Hari asked, once they'd gone through the Floo, looking around at the architecture so she wouldn't seem distressed.

"Is this about the meeting at Gringotts?" Narcissa asked, in concern.

"It is." Hari replied, her voice grave, just before Dobby popped into the room.

"Dobby can take your bags, Harry Potter." Dobby said, gesturing towards the bags she was gripping tightly by the handle.

"Alright, Dobby." She allowed, knowing he just wanted to help. "Is there any wrapping paper about, Cissa? I didn't think about it before."

"Some will be sent to your room if you want to wrap them yourself." Narcissa replied, with a slight smile. Dobby looked a bit sad at the thought.

"I will, but I'll need Dobby's help." Hari said, making Dobby smile again.

"Dobby will get right on it, Harry Potter." Dobby said, before popping out of the room.

"Alright, let us retire to my husband's study." Narcissa suggested, and they began to make their way there. Draco and Lord Malfoy were laughing about, drinking butterbeer, enjoying the comraderie. When Narcissa and Hari entered the room though, their expressions changed.

"Is there something wrong, Love?" Lord Malfoy asked, in open concern. Hari was beginning to wonder if his butterbeer was maybe something else.

"Hari needs to speak with us. It's important." Narcissa explained. "Draco…"

"No, he can stay. He'll just hear about it at school anyway." Hari said, waving off her attempts to give them privacy. "It's about the discrepancies in the Potter account."

"Then perhaps you should sit down before you fall down, Potter." Draco remarked with a snort, and looked shocked with she agreed without hesitation or a retort of her own. "Bloody hell, Potter, are you _**ill?"**_

"He…stole money from me…for years." Hari said, not looking at anyone. "Since Gringotts couldn't get to me, they couldn't contest it. He had the key to my vault, after all."

"How much?" Narcissa asked, sitting down in a chair next to her.

"Thousands." Hari began, and Narcissa and the others seemed to calm at that, until she added. "Tens of thousands of galleons…The Goblins saw Dobby as a way to contact me without _**his**_ knowing about it…Interrupted owl posts…heirlooms are gone…They can get the money back…but the heirlooms? I don't even know what he took…"

"That doesn't sound so bad. The Goblins can handle the money." Lord Malfoy stated. "There are ways to track down heirlooms."

"It gets worse." Hari said, stopping him from saying more. "I had to have the Goblins explain it to me, but I want to ask you to confirm. What is a Blood Ward?"

"It is a powerful charm, one that requires sacrificial protection. Someone would have had to have died to protect you for this to have been cast." Lord Malfoy explained, and then realized what it was Hari was asking. "…aaand I'm an idiot."

"Look, I get it. You're a Death Eater. So, like it or not, that probably makes you one of the best people to explain this to me." Hari explained, not backing down from this, as she glared at him. "I'm not asking you to explain yourself, or to apologize. I'll get to the reason here in a minute, but if you would, please, just explain this to me? It's important."

"The Dark Lord went to your house. How he found it is unknown to me, as we were able to discover it was heavily protected by something called a Fidelius charm. I'll explain that later if you like. We were unable to find its location, and then suddenly the Dark Lord knew it and took off without us. The next thing we know, he was just…gone. You were the only one found alive." Lord Malfoy explained, looking at her with an odd expression she couldn't read. "The way a Blood Ward works, someone gives their life to save another, but it isn't complete with that. Someone else has to cast the charm after the fact. Even then, the person would have to be accepted by the victim's family in order for the charm to become active. In this case, we can assume that it was your mother that gave her life for yours, because you were sent to live with the Dursleys. As I understand it, Petunia is her sister, and she would have had to take you in for the charm to activate. It would protect you from the Dark Lord should he return. How did the Goblins come to tell you about the Blood Ward?"

"They told me that it was noted when they sent over people to add security wards to the Dursleys house when I got accepted into Hogwarts." Hari explained. "They even told me who cast it, as their magical signature was embedded into it as well. It was Dumbledore, but I don't understand. If he did that, wouldn't he have looked in on me from time to time, to make sure I was being treated alright? Nevermind that they're Muggles. I don't give a fig about that part. What bothers me is he knew how horrible they were. If he checked in on me at all, he would know. What's worse is that even after all of that, he tried to blackmail me with it so that I would agree to be resorted."

"That isn't what he's blackmailing you with, or it isn't the only thing, not if Severus Snape's words are to be believed." Lord Malfoy remarked, and suddenly Hari was angrier than she had ever been. "Don't look at me like that, Boy. He's not told me."

"No wonder you looked so out of sorts when you came out of that meeting." Narcissa said in wonderment, but then furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. "You know about our past, what my husband is, and you still wanted to stay with us over the holidays?"

"Cissa, even if the only reason you have been nice to me was to make a political connection with the House of Potter, you have already been more kind to me than my aunt and uncle ever were. Draco may be a prat, but he's my friend, and you've always been kind to me in your letters. I figured if you're that nice, and Lord Malfoy married you, he couldn't be _**all**_ bad." Hari replied, giving her a watery smile. "Besides, there's this muggle phrase I think you'll like. Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't. I know Draco, and I know you. Through you, I know Lord Malfoy. I've talked to Professor Dumbledore all of one time, and he scared me more in that meeting than your husband did when you gave me Dobby."

* * *

"Well, that was certainly something." Lucius stated, once Draco and Hari were out of the room, floored by what he had just witnessed.

The Saviour of the Wizarding World knew what he was, what he had done, and still trusted him above the supposed Leader of the Light. Lucius frowned slightly as he thought over what had just happened. That wasn't normal, couldn't be normal, and yet…it had still happened just that way. He kept reviewing the information, but none of it added up to him. Could the boy's logic really be as simple as what he'd said?

Narcissa was the light of his life, and though she may appear cold to the rest of the world, at home she was warm and kind. She loved him and their son, and would do anything to keep them safe. She'd only followed him during the last war because he'd already been Marked before they got married. His father had offered him up to the Dark Lord like he was some kind of sacrifice, not that he hadn't believed in it himself, but he could not see his wife being okay with something like that happening to their son. It had been the reason she'd encouraged the friendship Draco had with the Potter boy, unwilling to see her son disappear to become someone he wasn't, and that was when he realized he'd been trying to make Draco into a copy of himself the way his father had tried to do with him.

"It was indeed." She replied. "There was something else he didn't mention about that trip to Gringotts. The Heir rings for the Potter, Black, and Peverell lines were called in not long after he began his meeting. Since he's been raised completely ignorant of magic, I'm not sure if he knows what that means. As far as I know, the Potter's weren't related to the Blacks, at least nowhere near close enough for him to have inherited the Black family vault."

"He could have been blood adopted. That cousin of yours, Sirius. Wasn't he close friends with Potter's parents?" Lucius suggested. "We can always ask the boy about it tomorrow, but the Peverell line…that's…that's something else."

"That's something that can also be explained to the boy tomorrow." Narcissa replied. "For now, we need to figure out a way around Dumbledore's blackmail."

"For that we would have to know what the blackmail _**is**__,_ Cissa." Lucius pointed out. "He may trust us enough for what he's allowed so far, but I don't think he's willing to trust us _**that**_ much just yet. That he trusts us at all, knowing what he knows, is…I don't even have words for that."

* * *

It's about this time that Draco notices just how small Potter's hands are. Potter's convinced Dobby to stand with them, and hold several rolls of tape, something Draco is convinced is some kind of muggle torture device. Why Potter wants to wrap everyones presents himself is another matter, but it's his hands that worry him, and his arms. Why hadn't Draco noticed how _**thin**_ Potter still was? He knows that with the food Potter eats at Hogwarts is more than enough to start correcting some of the damage he talked about from malnutrition, and yet Potter was still the same size.

With as many times as Potter has had to go to Madam Pomfrey, there's no way she wouldn't have noticed. How could Potter still be as small as he had been when Draco had visited him in the infirmary? His arms were like noodles! Was this just a Seeker thing? Just then, he saw the rings on Potter's left middle finger, and grabbed his hand.

"When were you going to tell us about _**this**__?"_ Draco asked. "How did you get the Black Family vault?"

"You can tell that from a ring?" Potter asked, stupidly. "They said something about a blood adoption. Why?"

"I thought Father was _**joking**_ about Mother adopting you!" Draco exclaimed.

"Your mother didn't adopt me." Potter said, snickering at him. "Someone else already had, Sirius Black, whoever that is."

"Peverell too! Just who _**are**_ you, Potter?" Draco asked, staring at the ring.

"Am I supposed to know who Peverell is?" Potter asked, in confusion. "I just know it was an heir ring the goblins gave me, and said 'here, this is yours now'."

"I don't know if we can maintain this friendship if you keep acting like an uncultured swine." Draco groaned, dramatically, which had Potter laughing at him. "Listen, Father and I talked while you were out shopping with Mother. Congratulations on surviving that, by the way."

"I took her into muggle London." Potter whispered conspiratorially, which paused Draco for a moment before he came to himself again.

"We'll get to _**that**_ revelation in a minute." Draco promised, and then plowed ahead. "Father said your secret is running on borrowed time. _No!_ _**Listen**__!"_ Potter had begun glaring at him. "With the Headmaster trying to blackmail you, it should be obvious even without my father pointing it out. Your secret is on dying legs. Before this, you had maybe two years, more or less. Now? Dumbledore could cancel the charm any day, which means you would either have to share the secret, or figure out another way to keep it. Father said Uncle Sev is worried about you, said he thought it would be too dangerous for you to stay with the muggles for too much longer. You're going to have to figure out what to do, Potter. Do you understand?"

"It's not so much a secret as it is an assumption." Potter hedged, going back to his tape and paper wrapping. "Everyone assumes something about me, and because I haven't said anything, they believe it's true. You believe it's true, and you don't even know what it is. Dumbledore knows, obviously, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Snape. I think Dumbledore told her not to say anything, so she didn't. She just put all the potions in front of me, and the man's eyebrows hit his hairline."

"What are you going to do?" Draco asked, hoping this would be the part where Potter told him what it was.

"I'll figure something out, if it comes to it." Potter replied, confidently.

"You _**could**_ trust me, you know." Draco huffed, in disappointment. "That's an option too, in case you were wondering."

"I do." Potter said, surprising him. "So figure it out, okay?"

"Are you…are you _**challenging**_ me, Potter?" Draco asked, incredulously. Potter's small sly grin was back.

"Well, I mean, if you can't figure it out, you can't figure it out." Potter said, with a bit of a shrug as he went back to wrapping presents. "I'm sure you have some _**other**_ Slytherin quality besides cunning."

"You're really…You…You…" Draco's brain scrambled to come up with something to say, right up until Potter stuck a christmas bow on his forehead.

"Don't have a brain aneurysm, Malfoy, you may never figure it out then." Potter remarks with a snort.

* * *

The next morning, Hari found herself bleary eyed and half dead at the breakfast table. It had taken forever to wrap all the gifts she got, and only Narcissa checking in on her at 2 a.m. had managed to persuade her that maybe it was alright to use the house elves for this one. So, Hari had put names on which packages went to who, and Dobby took care of the rest. Presents were going out that morning, and everything had needed to be done by then at least. She had made sure that Hedwig would be taking Dudley his present, because she knew to remain out of sight till Dudley was in the clear.

"So, do I get a hint or something, Potter?" Draco asked, sitting next to her as they waited for breakfast to be served. Maybe he'd been hoping to get more information knowing she was sleep deprived. "If I have to figure this thing out as some sort of challenge or something, I should definitely get a hint."

"Hints are for those not cunning enough to figure things out on their own, Malfoy." She replied, just barely catching Mr. Malfoy's smirk before he hid it in his morning tea. "Besides, I've already given you a hint. You just didn't know it for what it was."

"Well said, Potter." The man in question noted, as he placed his tea on the saucer. "Is that why you were placed in Slytherin? Both your parents were-"

"Gryffindors? Yes, Professor McGonagall tells me stories of their school days. Hagrid tells me stories of the things they did that Professor McGonagall wouldn't have approved of." Hari replied, with a slight smile, chosing to ignore his barely hidden sneer at the mention of Hagrid. After all, she did not like to be told who she could be friends with, and he had at least made an effort to hide his distaste for the man. "But no. I became a Slytherin for real friends."

"Real friends?" Narcissa asked, right before food appeared on the table.

"Yes. _Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use __**any**__ means to achieve their ends. _It was something the hat said that caught my attention, and I couldn't let it go." Hari replied.

"Why?" Narcissa asked, kindly, and Hari eyed her with suspicion but could sense no alterior motive. "What was it about real friends that appealed to you above the desire to follow in your families foot steps?"

"Because I'd never had them before. Real friends, I mean." Hari admitted, looking somewhat shamed as she remembered how she'd been made fun of for what she'd so candidly shared with the whole of Slytherin House.

"And the niceness as a means?" Mr. Malfoy asked. "Draco has spoken of it."

"The hat never said specifically what means to use, just that it could be _**any**_." Hari replied, logically. "People will only do just what you order them to do if they _**have**_ to, but people will go out of their way to do more than you ask of them if they _**want**_ to."

* * *

Draco wasn't sure what woke him up in the middle of the night, but the portraits were all whispering loudly. There was no way he was going to go back to sleep with all that noise going on, and decided to see if Potter was having to deal with this too. After shuffling over to the room Mother had assigned the boy, Draco discovered that Potter wasn't there. That woke him up, because the thought of Harry Potter being lost in Malfoy Manor was jarring. There were parts of this place Draco was forbidden to go into, places with such foul magic that it was simply unsafe for children, and Potter was lost in it.

"Get down to the kitchens!" One of the portraits hissed, clearly annoyed at having to try to get his attention. "That Potter boy is accosting the house elves!"

There's no way he heard that right. Potter wouldn't make Dobby even wring his own ears, so there was no way he would accost the Malfoy elves. It was a lead, at least, and Draco decided it was better than nothing. There _**was**_ a fair bit of noise coming from that way, he realized as he got closer. So, if Potter wasn't accosting the Malfoy house elves, just what was he doing?

"I'm sorry." He hears Potter hissing. "I've only ever made this by myself before. Help me get the ingredients. I don't know where anything is, but I can cook. I'll even make extra for you all to have, if you like. If you want, I can make a big mess for you to clean."

Oddly enough, that's what calmed them down. Draco watched as they gathered the ingredients Potter called out for. One of the house elves helped man the stove, showing Potter what each thing did. After a little while, Potter got the hang of things, and as promised, made a mess of it while he made an assortment of foods Draco wasn't sure he had never seen before, at least not like that. Whatever it was smelled delicious, and Draco wasn't sure how long he could hide where he was without attempting to steal some of the food.

"Potter, what are you doing in here?" He asked, when he could no longer take the smell of all the food and how delicious it was. Some kind of inhuman scream came out of the boy as Potter shrieked, flinging food everywhere.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy!" Potter exclaimed, a hand over his heart. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Why are you cooking breakfast, Potter?" Draco asked, pointing back to the food. "The portraits told me you accosted the house elves."

"I wanted to do something nice for your parents. They didn't have to take me in for the holidays." Potter explained. "So, I made breakfast. Do you think they'll like it?"

"Merlin's Beard, Potter, what _**is**_ this?" Draco asked, after taking a bite of something that suspiciously looks like a tomato. There was no way this was a tomato, because it tasted too good to be one. "It's delicious!"

"It had better be." Lucius noted, scaring the both of them. "The Portraits woke me and your mother from a sound sleep for it."

"Father, Potter's made us all breakfast this morning." Draco explained, trying not to make it sound like he was tattling on him. "You've _**got**_ to taste this."

"You made this,Potter?" Lucius asked, his eyes widening, after trying one of the fried mushrooms. Potter nodded silently. "Where did you learn to cook like this, and at such a young age? You could be a chef, dear boy."

"Breakfast is almost ready. You and Draco go on into the Dining Room." Potter said, shooing them both out of the kitchen, with a strange look on his face.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lucius asked Draco, looking confused, as they made their way to the dining room.

"I don't think those muggles complimented him on his food." Draco replied, keeping his voice quiet. "They just expected it of him."


	7. The Holidays

Last time

* * *

"Merlin's Beard, Potter, what _**is**_ this?" Draco asked, after taking a bite of something that suspiciously looks like a tomato. There was no way this was a tomato, because it tasted too good to be one. "It's delicious!"

"It had better be." Lucius noted, scaring the both of them. "The Portraits woke me and your mother from a sound sleep for it."

"Father, Potter's made us all breakfast this morning." Draco explained, trying not to make it sound like he was tattling on him. "You've _**got**_ to taste this."

"You made this,Potter?" Lucius asked, his eyes widening, after trying one of the fried mushrooms. Potter nodded silently. "Where did you learn to cook like this, and at such a young age? You could be a chef, dear boy."

"Breakfast is almost ready. You and Draco go on into the Dining Room." Potter said, shooing them both out of the kitchen, with a strange look on his face.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lucius asked Draco, looking confused, as they made their way to the dining room.

"I don't think those muggles complimented him on his food." Draco replied, keeping his voice quiet. "They just expected it of him."

* * *

Chapter 7

As expected, breakfast that morning was a production. Hari had made the food, of course, but the house elves brought it out for them. Not to be outdone, the house elves had brought out the best dishes, something that had Narcissa and Lucius raising their eyebrows, but neither said a word about it. It seemed that even the Malfoy house elves thought highly of Hari Potter's food. Narcissa finally got to taste what all the fuss had been about, and she had to admit she wasn't disappointed.

However, it brought her mind back to the fact that Hari was much smaller than he should be for someone his age. The boy looked malnourished, though it appeared that he was getting better. He wasn't quite as unhealthy looking as he had been when she'd given him Dobby. It was amusing to watch him and Draco banter back and forth, Draco of course looking for hints about the secret Hari possessed. It really would be better if he would tell them what it was, but that trust would be hard won, and Narcissa understood that.

"Gifts are under the tree, when you two are finished with breakfast." Narcissa said, with a slight smile. Both Hari and Draco groaned, because there were presents, but they still wanted to eat. "Hari, dear, your cooking was marvelous. I'm sure the house elves will be after the recipe to all this later."

"I already gave it to them." The boy admitted sheepishly. "They asked if it was alright if I send them other recipes I've made, but I'm not sure how to translate muggle cooking directions into ones safe for their magic. Dobby said it would be fine, that they didn't need translations like that, but I wanted to make sure with the two of you first, before I agreed. This is a muggle dish. There's nothing magic about it."

"Maybe not in the wizarding sense of the word, Potter, but if this isn't magic, I don't know what is." Draco insisted, after he'd finished off a bite of food. Lucius arched an eyebrow at the boy for his admission, but otherwise said nothing. "Who knew muggles had food magic? Do they have competitions for things like this, like we have for quidditch?"

"They do, not quite like quidditch, but chefs compete do against each other." Hari replied, looking thrilled that his cooking was getting such praise.

"If it is something children can compete in, I highly suggest you look into it, Potter. You certainly seem to have a gift for it." Lucius stated, allowing himself a certain degree of admiration. "I do believe you could very well be the first chef in the wizarding world to mix muggle and magical cooking elements, if you choose to make a career of this."

"You've had _**one**_ dish. That's not enough to suggest a career, Mr. Malfoy." Hari insisted, lightly admonishing the man.

"Well then, by all means, feel free to accost the house elves whenever you wish." Lucius remarked with a sly smirk. "Either way, the Malfoy elves will get new recipes, and we will get to taste more food. I am sure you will come around to my way of thinking eventually."

"Come along now. If there's enough time to argue over food, there's enough time to open gifts." Narcissa playfully admonished. Within moments, what was left of breakfast had been cleared away, and everyone moved into the living room. "Draco, it's your turn to hand out gifts this year."

"Last year was Father's turn." Draco explained, seeing the look of confusion on Hari's face. "Since your new to this, you get first gift."

"I have presents?" Hari asked, in complete surprise, and then a look of horror and shame crossed his face when everyone stopped moving and looked at him in shock.

"You really _**weren't**_ joking about how those muggles treat you." Draco grumbled, before looking at him hard for a moment as if he were making a decision. "I don't know if I've ever properly apologized for any of that. I took advantage of you not knowing what a house elf was, I made fun of how you were treated by those muggles. Uncle Sev said I almost killed you with that stunt I pulled by hiding your clothes."

"You didn't-" Hari tried to deny.

"Potter, you nearly overloaded your magical core. The stone walls split in half. Do you even understand how thick the foundation walls of the dungeon are? You hit your head, and Uncle Sev had to pull you out of the room before the dungeons completely flooded. I think it's safe to say I almost killed you. Had I not kept pushing you about it all, none of that would have happened." Draco stated, effectively cutting off whatever denial Hari had been about to try. "Now, accept my apology, and take this weird lumpy thing one of the Weasleys sent."

"Ron's Mum." Hari said, still a bit shocked, as he nodded. "He warned me she's very…motherly, and he'd told her I wasn't expecting gifts. He says she knits them something everyone calls Weasley sweaters."

Draco handed over the lumpy parcel, and Hari got to work. Next was Narcissa, Lucius, and then finally himself. Hari looked hesitant to open his gift, but got over that when he saw Draco rip into his own. Both Narcissa and Lucius methodically opened their gifts, both from Hari. Lucius was surprised with a variety of books, while Narcissa received a lovely diamond necklace that reminded her of a constellation. Draco himself got a small telescope with an assortment of charms on it, but Hari's gift seemed to grab everyone's attention.

"Dear Merlin, you can't be serious. That's a sweater?" Lucius asked, unable to hold back his distaste.

"I _**know**__._ It's positively _**hideous**._ I love it. I'll have to thank her later." Hari replied, grinning with glee, right before shocking everyone by putting it on over his clothes. This, of course, turns his hair into a static charged fluff ball about his head.

"Potter, you can't possibly mean to wear that thing! It's an affront to sweaters everywhere." Draco objected.

"Keep talking, Malfoy. I'll have Mrs. Weasley make one for you too." Hari charged, with a gleefuly mischievous grin. "We'll have an ugly sweater party, inviting all of Slytherin House. I'm sure your 'Uncle Sev' would kill for blackmail this good."

"You _**wouldn't**_." Draco said, narrowing his eyes at the boy. Hari just grinned more, and finally Draco caved. "Alright, alright. Keep your ugly sweater on."

"It's so soft though." Narcissa remarked, as she cautiously touched the sweater. Draco turned green, probably at the thought of his own lumpy sweater, while Hari tried not to snicker too loudly. "Maybe I could try my hand at it."

"I haven't met her yet, but Ron says she's usually very giving when it comes to these sorts of things." Hari stated, leaving open the suggestion that she could just ask the witch herself.

"Malfoys and Weasleys don't…get along well, Dear." Narcissa tried to explain, without offending the boy. She knew that somehow, Hari Potter had befriended the youngest Weasley boy. "It's been that way for generations, and even if it could change, I'm not sure either family is up for the attempt. We were on opposite sides of a war, after all."

"Would you like _**me**_ to ask her?" Hari asked, surprising the woman. "I'm aware that Ron is a stubborn hot head, especially when it comes to all things Malfoy, so I can't imagine his parents are much different. However, if Harry Potter were to send a letter in thanks and inquiry, I'm sure it would at least open a door for communication between the two of you. I'm sure you're not aspiring to friendship or anything, but polite civility would certainly be a step up."

"That is…rather diplomatic of you, Hari." Narcissa relented. "I can see that the sorting hat was wise to put you in Slytherin House. You will certainly do well there."

The rest of the day was quite enjoyable. Hari seemed surprised by all the gifts he received, thanking her and Lucius when the boy realized they had actually gotten him something. It hadn't been anything major, as they didn't really know his tastes, but the look on his face meant that they had made an excellent choice. She'd gone on to explain that the book was no ordinary blank book. This book was special in that it had a twin, one that could be used for communication over vast distances, rather like an instant quill pal.

With things being what they were with the Headmaster now, they'd wanted Hari to have a way to contact them that wasn't monitored. They'd discovered, and probably should have always known, that the communications through Hogwarts was monitored by the Headmaster. It was really rather Slytherin of him. Hari had understood instantly, and was glad for the security. It would not mean a stop in their normal letters, as that would mean a change in routine the Headmaster would most certainly notice.

After gifts had been handed out and opened, Hari talked Draco into going out into the snow. Before she knew it, there was an all out snowball war going on outside while she watched comfortably from the safety of her living room window. She hadn't had the chance to warn her husband, as he had decided to go out there and see what all of the fuss was about for himself instead of asking her, only to be struck by a rogue snowball. Both Draco and Hari had looked at each other before turning on Lucius, and sending a flurry of snowballs his way. It took a moment for the man to recover, but once he did, he gave the boys a run for their galleons.

Once the three of them came back inside, she made sure to have them hot chocolate and more than a few drying and warming charms. It was good to see that the boys got along so well now that Draco was no longer forbidden from seeking a friendship with Hari, and she'd already thought more than once about adopting the boy, but there was another avenue to look into first, as well as the need to address some of the things Hari said. She knew well that Sirius was the boy's godfather, but the circumstances around the man's imprisonment was highly suspect. Whether or not her cousin had killed those muggles, he'd never gotten a trial. The man had been half out of his mind with rage and something else she hadn't looked too closely at at the time.

Hari didn't let much slip about his treatment with the muggles that have custody of him, so Narcissa resolved to get the information out of her son. A bit underhanded perhaps, but she needed to know what had happened in order to know what steps to take. She doubted very much that Hari had given her son any great details, but it would be a start. If a barrister needed to be contacted about a custody case, she thought it best to start preparing now, no matter to whom custody of the boy would go. Maybe Lucius could go with the straightforward approach as well, maks sure nothing was left out; definitely something to look into.

* * *

Hari had to say, this is by far the best Christmas she's ever had. If Malfoy wasn't her friend before, he certainly seems to be now. There was the possibility that he was only trying to be nice to get the secret, but she didn't want to think that was the only reason. To be fair, it hadn't started out as a secret, but now that people where pressing to know what it was, she felt it wrong to share it. That the Headmaster would really try to force a resorting, Hari wasn't sure what to think about that, or what she was going to do about everything she'd learned while in that meeting with the Goblins of Gringotts.

"Potter." Mr. Malfoy called out to her, startling Hari into whirling around, only to trip over her own feet and fall flat on her back. He was by her side in seconds. "It would not do for you to die while in my home, Potter. Do try to refrain yourself, won't you?"

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." Hari replied, as she got back up. Whatever else was true about Lucius Malfoy, the man certain had a sardonic sense of humour. "Was there a _**reason**_ you were calling for me, or did you want to see if you could finally succeed where Voldy failed?"

"Ah, yes, my son told me of your refusal to call the Dark Lord by the preferred term." Mr. Malfoy mused, scowling a bit. "Something about dolls, he said."

"That's what it sounds like. With a name like _**that**_, I picture a grown man in the basement of his mum's house playing with dolls." Hari stated. This was not something she was going to back down from. "At least the name Voldemort _**sounds**_ frightening, but it weirds out my dorm mates when I say the name too much, so Voldy it is."

"Be that as it may, there _**was**_ a reason why I called for you, Potter. Perhaps _**this**_ is a conversation we can continue another time." Mr. Malfoy remarked, before they adjourned to his study. "What do you know of Sirius Black?"

"Absolutely nothing, besides he was supposed to get custody of me as my godfather." Hari admitted. She liked his study. It spoke of a quite elegance she wished she could copy at school. "Ragnock said the man was in Azkaban, and so was unable to take custody of me. Why?"

"What would you say if we could get him out?" Mr. Malfoy asked, as he sat behind his desk.

"I'm assuming you mean legally, and above board, in such a way that it could not be reversed? Because that's what it would take, you know." Hari warned, unsure of where the man was going with this.

"Yes, it would, if it were to be above reproach by even Dumbledore's eyes." Mr. Malfoy remarked. "The problem lies in the fact that he was never given a trial. His wand was snapped, and he was thrown into Azkaban. Supposedly, the man killed a group of muggles while chasing down Peter Pettigrew, another friend of your Parents, but without the trail there was no way to confirm or deny the claims."

"You suspect he is innocent?" Hari asked, in shock. "That sort of thing happens in the muggle world too sometimes, an innocent man going to prison, even with a trial."

"Yes, though there is much to look into before we can present a case to the Wizengamot." Mr. Malfoy replied. "I do not want to give you false hope, Hari, but short of my family adopting you, this is how we keep you out of the Dursleys custody and free of the old goat's machinations, or at least most of them, but it will not be straight away. Even if we can get him out of there, Sirius Black has been in Azkaban for just over a decade. I will not lie to you, it is a terrible place, filled with dark creatures called Dementors. They feed off of joy, drain the happiness right out of you, make you relive your worst memories. I had to endure that for a few months while things got sorted after the war, and it took me some time before I was myself again. He might need mind healers, and rehabilitation before he can even think about being your guardian. The Blood Wards over your muggle relatives' home need to be renewed once a year, which means for a few weeks out of the year, you would still have to live there. It may be years before we get this off the ground. Holidays and summers could be spent either here or with other friends while we work this out for you. I'm sure even Severus would be willing to house you for a few weeks or so, though you may end up working in the potions lab. He's always brewing something during holiday."

"Why? Why are you doing this? This is a lot, so much effort just for me." Hari asked, trying to absorb everything he was telling her. "You can't have changed your beliefs that quickly."

"Potter, I will not lie to you. No, my beliefs have not changed. I still believe muggles have no place in our world, that muggleborns are a stain on our world, and will strip away our culture until we are nothing. The last time muggles were entrusted with knowledge of our world, it started the burning times." Mr Malfoy stated coolly. "I highly doubt they have changed enough to allow us to be completely candid with them now."

"You're right, they haven't." Hari admitted, surprising Mr. Malfoy. Maybe the man thought she would fight him. "One person is smart, but a group? Not always. They call it mob mentality, but I doubt that's strictly a muggle phenomenon. Still, telling lots of people all at once is not the best idea, no. But that's why it's best to start with the parents of muggleborns, to teach them about the world of magic, to learn from them all the ways their world is different than your own, so that you can show them all the ways it is the same, and build on that. You want to keep wizarding culture alive? Teach it to the muggleborns who are so eager to learn. There's a muggle study class. Why not a wizarding culture class? Don't praise the virtues of wizarding culture, if you're going to exclude those who could help you preserve it. There are other better ways if you want to be better than someone else. I hear ability is an option."

* * *

That precocious cheeky little shit, Lucius grumbles to himself. Had Draco spoken to him in such a way, he would have punished him appropriately, but Hari Potter was not his son. As a guest in his home, Potter should have known not to question him in such a manner, and yet Lucius himself had opened the door for him to do so, not that he was going to admit that to anyone but himself. So imagine his surprise when the Potter boy stands before him some hours later with his head down, and offers a clear apology, even if the boy can't look him in the eye as he says the words. The Malfoy patriarch wonders if this has something to do with the muggles that raised this boy, but won't ask for now.

So, after the holidays are over and the children are safely back at Hogwarts, Lucius Abraxus Malfoy makes his first ever visit to the muggle world. It is easy to spot the squib living at the end of the street, and doubts that Potter knows about her. Lucius himself is dissillusioned, so there is no way for him to be seen by the woman who is no doubt some uninformed but well meaning spy Dumbledore has placed to watch over the boy. If Severus' rants about malnutrition and beatings have any merit, that woman has done a poor job of things. How is it that Potter can talk about muggles as if they are worthy of respect? This place is so horribly normal, he's worried he'll fade into it if he stays too long.

The house he's looking for, a Number 4 Privet Drive, is so mundanely normal that he walks past it three times before really seeing it. On the other hand, he is kind of impressed by it too, as the place practically blends in so well it could be under its own Fidelius Charm. There is no magic here, other than the blood wards though. As he means no harm to the boy or the occupants of the house, the ward does not even regard him as worthy of note, which is disconcerting to say the least. What if someone changed their minds halfway through the house? Cleanup would be a disaster.

Petunia and Vernon Dursley are awful, and coming from the mind of a Death Eater, that's saying something. Lucius is fairly certain they have a round ball for a son, if the pictures are to be believed. It's still strange to him that muggle pictures don't move like they should. When Lucius sees the kitchen, he is amazed Potter was able to create food in there, much less use those skills to create the wonderful dishes he'd impressed the Malfoy house elves with. There is something bugging him, now that he thinks about those muggle pictures, but it takes him a while to figure out what it is, and then he has to check every picture in the house to be sure.

There are no pictures of Hari Potter here. He actually wonders throughout the house a second time looking for one, just to be sure, but there isn't one. It is as if Hari Potter doesn't exist here. If it wasn't for Potter's own assertion that he does in fact live at Number 4 Privet Drive, and Draco's mentioning of the cupboard under the stairs, Lucius would not have thought Hari had ever lived here at all. Something about that last thought plagues him, cupboard under the stairs.

He doesn't want to open the door, a sense of dread fills him as he approaches it, and it's confirmed when he sees some sort of bold lock on the door, but he ignores these things in favor of figuring out what it all means. Hari's Room, the words are scratched into the door with something dull that looks like it was done repeatedly till the message stuck. His fingers run over the letters before he realizes that's exactly what that boy did as well. That boy had scratched out Hari's Room with his own fingernails. The realization does not help his mood any, and with even more unease he looks into the cupboard.

There isn't much to it; a small ratty blanket and a tiny pillow so old that the colour is all but faded out of them. There is barely enough room for the boy to fit in here, and this had been his room? It had an odd sort of odor, as if the boy had had to stay in there too long to be able to relieve himself anywhere else, and the smell had stayed even after it had been cleaned away. The stories Draco told him started playing in his mind, the reason Severus was so upset suddenly made more sense, and Lucius didn't think he could get out of there fast enough.

It wasn't just the smell, or the lack of space. Day in and day out, that boy had had to sleep there, had been thrown in there when something happened that couldn't be explained, left to starve as punishment. Severus' words reminded him that the boy had been beaten and starved, made to clean for them like a house elf. No wonder the boy looked so strangely at him whenever Lucius had complimented his food. No doubt the Dursleys did not thank him for a single thing he did for them, so it was expected that no one else would either.

Having had enough, Lucius bolted from the house altogether, making sure the dissillusionment charm is still working. When he's far enough away, he apparates back to Malfoy Manor, and floos to Severus' office. His stomach already hates him for seeing that cupboard, and apparating, and using the Floo on top of all of that was the last straw. Without so much as a hello to his old friend, he finds himself heaving the contents of his stomach into Severus' rubbish bin at the side of his desk. Only after he's finished, and cast a scourgify on himself, and vanishing the mess, does he realize that he is not alone.

Severus and McGonagall are having tea together, or they were. Both are now looking at him like he's something out of the Black Lake they've never seen, and he's not sure what to think about this new friendship they've obviously started with each other. But he'll take that over the hell he'd just come from. Whatever lack of decorum he's just shown is forgivable, and if they were to say anything to anyone about it, no one would believe them. He is a Malfoy after all.

"Lucius, what happened?" Severus asked, looking mildly concerned, which for him spoke volumes about how bad Lucius must really look.

"Does she know?" Lucius asked, pointing to McGonagall. There was no way he was revealing this otherwise. "About Potter? Does she know?"

"Know what?" Severus asked, for clarification. "Potter has more than one secret, it would seem."

"The Cupboard." Lucius replied, not going into further details. He doesn't need to, not if the woman knows already.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, though Potter is not aware that I know. It was brought to my attention last term." McGonagall answered, before sipping on her tea. Lucius gets the impression that she's only doing that to hide how displeased she is about the whole thing. "How did you come by that information? I doubt Potter told you. The child only told Severus under duress of a sort."

"Draco." Lucius admitted, tiredly, taking the offered seat that Severus conjured for him. "As you may be aware, the Potter boy spent the holidays at Malfoy Manor. It was discovered that Dumbledore was stealing from the Potter Vaults, something the boy was upset about, but not as much as he was when he found out about the Blood Wards."

"Hari knows about the Blood Wards?" Severus demanded. "How does Hari know about the Blood Wards? Lucius, what did you do?"

"Nothing…before he asked me for points of clarification." Lucius hedged. McGonagall may be a teacher, but he's fairly certain she'd try to murder him if she felt like it, and she's looking at him like she's thinking about it.

"Clarification?" McGonagall asked, outraged.

"Yes. Clarification, specifics, if you _**must**_ know; thought I _**had**_ rather hoped you knew that term already. You _**are**_ a professor, are you not?" Lucius remarked dryly.

"Lucius, enough." Severus snapped, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Potter asked for clarification on the Blood Wards. Why?"

"Because I'm a Death Eater. At least, that's the reason he gave. He asked, and I answered, but that is not the only reason why I am here. Apparently being part of the group that wanted him dead was good for information digging in his eyes. That is not even the most pressing thing, though it is troubling enough on it's own." Lucius stated, getting back to the point. "Dumbledore has been taking money from the Potter Vaults, and by now he will have discovered Potter has rescinded his authority over the account, and demanded that money be returned."

"What? But that's?…Why?" McGonagall asked, looking more troubled by the minute. "That money was for Potter's tutoring, and living expenses with those…Dursleys."

"Before Potter stayed over at Malfoy Manor, I had met the boy all of one time, and even _**I**_ could tell how completely malnourished he was." Lucius scoffed, dismissively. Really, if she was going to be stupid about it. "Does it look like he's actually received any such tutoring? That those filthy muggles cared for him at all? Draco told me the boy was completely clueless about the wizarding world, and his place in it. For Merlin's sake, he didn't even know what a house elf was."

"No, but Albus has always had his reasons before." McGonagall said weakly, and it was then that Lucius realized she'd been trying and failing to cling to some semblance of loyalty to the old goat.

"Yes, and I'm sure it's all for the _Greater Good;_ Just like the forced resorting that he's trying to blackmail the boy into, leaving him completely ignorant about his own world, or having him live with muggles who hate magic and force him to live in a Cupboard under the stairs." Lucius pointed out, pleased and surprised that she wasn't fighting him on it. This apparently was not a new conversation, and she seems to deflate somewhat. "I've seen it, by the way. Children are **_precious_** to the wizarding world, and to see what that boy has been forced to live with all this time…Severus, even when you told me what was going on, I didn't want to believe it. I had to see it for myself. Do you have a Pensive? I don't…I don't think I want to describe what I saw in that house."

Thank Salazar, Severus has a Pensive. Lucius pulls the memory from his mind, and places it in the silvery liquid. McGonagall looks suspicious at it, no doubt wondering what he was doing at Potter's home in the first place, but she doesn't say anything. Lucius isn't sure them both going into the Pensive is a good idea or not, but the two of them put their faces into the bowl and disappear before he can think to say anything. It's not like he can't freeze them if he has to do so. There must be _**some**_ decorum when planning retribution or revenge after all.

A few minutes later, McGonagall came out of the Pensive fighting mad, so he put her in a full body bind. Severus wasn't much better. The Potions Master had actually had the foresight to cast a curse at him as he was heading for the door, but he too fell to a full body bind. Lucius knew they were angry, considering he was _**still**_ angry, but these things needed finesse. They could not help Potter by going in wands blazing.

"Now, if you two can calm down, I have a plan you may be interested in. Potter already knows about it, sort of, but I'm hoping that you can help me, Severus." Lucius said, as he unbound them. "McGonagall, though a surprise, your help would not be unwelcome, though I would ask if you were able to occlude your mind from Dumbledore."

"I can." She answered, still reeling internally from what she'd just watched. "I just…I can't…Potter told you about this, Lucius?"

"Draco did, because Potter had been open about it before. Even then it wasn't a lot of detail, and Draco has had to guess a lot, considering he'd helped bully the boy until he'd reverted into himself." Lucius said, with a tired sigh. "I had to see it. I had to know what I was dealing with, and have witnesses, so that I can go ahead with my plans."

"Which are?" Severus asked, dryly. Very little patience for someone who claims to be a spy.

"Build a case against the muggles raising him, discredit Dumbledore, and free Sirius Black." Lucius revealed, rather enjoying the scandalized expressions on their faces right now. "Unless either of you have a better idea?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" McGonagall nearly shouts. "The man is a murderer of muggles and wizards alike! He betrayed the Potters!"

"He was also not given a trial to prove or disprove those claims, not even a drop of veritaserum. As guilty as any Death Eater ever is, even they were given a trial." Lucius pointed out. "Black? His wand was snapped, and he was carted off, shouting about how he had betrayed them. He could just as easily been talking about how his decisions led to what happened. He was certainly guilty of that."

"What do you mean?" She asked, warily. So much of her world view must have shifted in this moment, he thinks, and it was about to get worse.

"I told Potter that I didn't know how his parents house had been discovered, but I do. You know how the Fidelius Charm works, that it requires a Secret Keeper, and that the Potters were betrayed. What you are wrong about, was who that was." Lucius admitted. "Severus was not high enough in the ranks to know that, but I was. Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, not Black."

"Now you see here!-" McGonagall shouted angrily, only to be silenced with a silencing charm from Lucius.

"Pettigrew was a sycophant, latching on to the most powerful, the most likely to protect him. The man had no great skill as a wizard even then." Lucius stated, snidely. "He came to the Dark Lord, claiming that the Potters had made him the Secret Keeper for their hideout, that it had been Black's idea. It was the perfect decoy, after all, Black would be the one everyone looked for."

"If you've been sitting on this information all these years, why haven't you said anything?" Severus asked, cancelling out Lucius' silencing charm on McGonagall.

"What good would it have done?" Lucius scoffed. "I was a newly acquitted Death Eater. I had a wife, and newborn son to take care of, and they come first before all else. Even with what I knew, had I been willing to share it, who would have believed me? Certainly not the people ducking their heads under the sand, thankful for peace at last. With no other proof than my memories, which they would not have trusted not to be tampered with, there was nothing they would have accepted. As it is, I'm still not sure they will accept them. Hence my need for help."

"I'll see if I can't contact Amelia for lunch. She has a sore spot where Potter is concerned, and would be more than willing to help us." McGonagall stated, though still looking very cross that he had silenced her. "I would suggest you go through your memories, find the ones you think are relevant to this case, and store them away. Though, why you are so interested in helping the child, I don't know."

"Because, for some unfathomable reason, he trusts me, and that wasn't something I ever expected to see." Lucius replied, though it was through a sneer. "Not with his secrets, but with his safety, his life. He sat down in front of me, and told me he trusted me; that through Draco and Narcissa, he knew that I couldn't be all bad because I had them; that because of what I was, I wasn't willing to lie to spare him; and that even if I was only doing it for political motivation, I was already being more considerate than the muggles he is forced to live with. Tell me, in what world does it make sense for the Boy Who Lived to be scared of the supposed Leader of the Light, and yet doesn't think twice about trusting a known Death Eater? Because that's what he told me, and I still can't make sense of it."

* * *

When everyone got back to school after holiday break, Hari was mildly surprised to find a package on her bed. She went to open in automatically, but Malfoy smacked her hands away and began running spells over it. When it glowed a golden hue for a moment before returning to its original state, Draco backed away. However, were as she had been excited about a new present, now she was curious as to what just happened there. Blaise and Theo looked like it was completely normal to do whatever Malfoy did, but Hari still had no clue.

"Alright, pretending that I was muggle raised, what did you just do, Malfoy?" Hari asked, in confusion. "Is this normal, and just haven't noticed anyone else do that?"

Draco, for his part, looked like he was a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, before shrugging it off. "I forget sometimes how much you don't know." He lectured, though not unkindly. "In case you have forgotten, Potter, you are wearing three different Heir rings right now, the most powerful of which is so old that it can be traced back to the Hallows."

Theo and Blaise gasp at that.

"I take it that's important? I don't even know what that is." Hari admitted.

Draco just hung his head in defeat, before pointing at her. "Potter. Black. Peverell. One of you help me explain this to him."

"Bloody Hell, Hari, and I thought we knew you." Blaise teased. "Having someone of the Peverell line is the equivalent of royalty. Their line dates back even further than the Founders. It was believed the line had died out. You have to be the richest person in all of Hogwarts or something."

"Can we…I don't know…**_not_** tell anyone?" Hari asked, beginning to panic. "People are already weird because of the scar, and I just…I can't…please?"

"Relax, Hari, we'll get you sorted." Theo reassured her, but wasn't prepared for her to start laughing.

"I thought I already had been." Hari snickered.


	8. Another Attempt

Chapter 8

Hari saw the note on the package. _This belonged to your father. Use it well._ Was this one of the heirlooms Dumbledore had stolen from her vault? Was this how he was choosing to return it to her? Draco seemed to have the same thought, but said nothing, just discreetly cast a few more diagnostic charms on the package as she opened it. The silvery fabric felt smooth as it pooled in her hands. It was actually quite nice, and Hari could swear it gleamed.

"That's…Hari, that's…If this isn't a sign, I don't know what is." Theo insisted. "This is an invisibility cloak, and with what Draco just said, I would bet that it is The Invisibility cloak. It's a Hallow. We'll find a book about them for you, but for now, try it on. Take it for a spin, and see what it can do!"

"Okay!" Hari said, suddenly cheerful, throwing the cloak around herself.

She looked down at her body, which now seemed to be covered in the silvery sheen, and decided to have some fun. Quickly, she rushed over to the door, opened it, and slammed it shut again. Draco nearly lost his mind, and went rushing out of the door at top speed. Blaise and Theo didn't have time to freak out the way Draco did, because at that moment they heard Hari laughing her ass off. She took off the cloak, and put it in her trunk, still laughing. Blaise actually looked impressed, and Theo just stood there with a big grin on his face,

"How long do you think it will take him before he realizes I haven't left the room?" She asked, unable to stop the mischievous grin from spreading on her face. Suddenly the three of them were laughing, and things were looking a bit lighter than they were before.

* * *

When Gryffindor won against Ravenclaw in the next Quidditch match, Hari thought nothing of accepting an offer for her to join in the celebrations. It had come from Ron, after all. He was her first friend in the wizarding world, and even though they were in rival Houses, the two sought to maintain that friendship. Because of that, she had other friendships in that House that she wouldn't have expected before, so it was important to her. She did not think about the Headmaster's resorting blackmail thing, or Draco's warnings that maybe the old goat would use this for that purpose. She just thought about how nice it would be to hang out with some of her friends, and share in their joy over their favorite sport. Besides, it would be pretty ridiculous to try something after all this time.

Ron and Neville were pretty awesome, and Hermione looked like she was enjoying herself. Hari knew the girl didn't like flying all that much, but true to form, she'd researched the sport anyway. They were discussing quidditch moves, and drinking butter beer, when she started noticing something was off. The party was in full swing, but Ron kept looking at the door like he was expecting someone to walk through it. The more time went by, the more this kept happening, but Hari tried not to think about it too much. She was probably being paranoid, and she didn't like being that way about her own friend.

"Uh, Harry, mate? Can I talk to you a minute, in private?" Ron finally asked. At least she hadn't been wrong that he'd looked like he'd wanted to talk to her about something serious, but that didn't help her nagging suspicions that Draco was going to paint the biggest I told you so sign ever.

"Sure, Ron, where to?" Hari asked, setting down her butterbeer. He lead her to a room that must have been his and a few other boys.

"How do you like Gryffindor Tower?" Ron asked, not quite looking at her.

"It's nice, and very…orange." Hari replied, kindly. "It's warm, is what I mean, and bright. Why?"

"Would you like to stay here? Be a Gryffindor? Bunk in my room maybe?" Ron asked, now hedging to look at her as the colour drained from her face.

"Dumbledore got to you." Hari said, her voice barely over a whisper. "Ron, what did you do?"

"He talked to me, told me you were in danger with the Slytherins, that they had brainwashed you into hating him." Ron replied, seeing the betrayal in her eyes. "He told me I could keep you safe if I convinced you to get resorted into Gryffindor. You're my friend, Harry. I wouldn't want you to be in danger or anything. I-"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, do you have any idea what you've just done?" Hari hissed, so mad that sparks were shooting out of her finger tips. "That man stole money out of my vault, and that's not Slytherin brainwashing me, that's goblin backed facts! He was charging for tutoring I never got, and living expenses the Dursleys say were never paid for. He never once mentioned getting me away from the Dursleys, the real threat to my life, but he's hell bent on getting me away from the snakes."

"He wouldn't!" Ron denied, getting red faced.

"I have the paperwork to prove it." Hari stated, not backing down.

"Harry, I…Blimey, I'm sorry, I…He said it was for your own good, that it was for the Greater Good." Ron said, now looking thoroughly green. "I'm sorry, mate, I never expected-"

"At least you didn't try to drug me as well." Hari said, fuming as she tried not to take her anger out on her friend, and then she saw the look on his face. "Tell me you didn't."

"He wanted me to put a bit of something in your butterbeer." Ron replied. Hari wondered just how many colours her friend's face could turn. "I didn't! But he wanted me to, said it would make you more…amiable or something."

"That wasn't your first clue, to maybe tell me something was wrong?" Hari demanded.

"He said he would talk to Fudge, put in a good word for my Dad, maybe get him a raise." Ron mumbled, looking down at the floor. "Dad's the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, but what he makes is nothing compared to some. I just…I thought I was helping him."

"Would he be proud of you if he found out how it happened?" Hari asked, making Ron looked even more ashamed. She shook her head at him. "I'm not mad at you, Ron. Okay, that's a lie, I'm pissed the fuck off at you, but I get it. I didn't have money, or didn't know I had money, till this year. So, I get it. Hand me down everything, barely any food, cramped sleeping quarters, I get it. You were trying to better your family, and Dumbledore played on every fear you had. So I'm more angry at him for manipulating you into trying to attempt this at all. What's supposed to happen?"

"In the middle of the celebration, Dumbledore's supposed to arrive with the sorting hat." Ron replied, dejectedly. "Harry, I'm sorry. I had no idea he'd stolen from you, but surely there was a good reason?"

"For stealing?" Hari asked, and then pointedly looked at him. "Please tell me what good reason could there possibly be for risking the wrath of the Goblins, and stealing from a child."

"Yeah, you're right. That was a bit stupid of me." Ron admitted. "I just…It's hard picturing him doing that. He's always had his reasons for everything. My parents fought for him during the last war. Harry, you can't go out there. He'll force a re-sorting somehow if you do."

"There's nowhere else to go, Ron." Hari huffed. "Let's just get this over with. This is nothing compared to the smug look on Malfoy's face I'm going to have to put up with when I tell him he was right."

As predicted, Dumbledore was in the common room. None of the others in Gryffindor seemed to realize what was going on. Professor McGonagall looked perplexed, and Hari hoped that she'd had the foresight to have sent a message to Professor Snape about this. The celebration had died down at the sight of the Headmaster and their Head of House. From the looks of things, the Headmaster had just given a speech of some kind, when he saw her and Ron enter the room.

"Ah, Hari, good of you to join us." Dumbledore said, with grandfatherly warmth. "I just got through explaining to Gryffindor House that there is to be a new addition."

"Really? Who is it?" Hari asked, looking at him coolly. "Certainly not me. I mean, you're all nice and everything, but Slytherin is my House."

"I thought we could use this time to go over the details of the House, explain why it's the best choice for you." Dumbledore continued on, ignoring McGonagall's barely contained glaring.

"Choice implies you should respect the one I've already made." Hari countered. "The Sorting Hat-"

"Ah, I actually happen to have the Sorting Hat right here." Dumbledore replied, also ignoring her counter argument as he pulled the Sorting Hat out. "Would you like to hear the details of a re-sorting?"

"That actually sounds fascinating, Professor." Hermione pipped up. There were several sounds of indignation, as it was clear that Hari did not wish to be resorted. "What are the circumstances required? I've heard it can be awfully difficult to achieve."

"There are several circumstances that would fit the requirements for re-sorting." Dumbledore allowed, humouring the girl. "Extreme bullying among them."

"You mean like being ostracized by your entire House? Having your things stolen only to find them broken somewhere else? Perhaps a few accidental falls down the stairs that require the treatment of Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked, as if she were talking about one of her essays. Some of the Gryffindors were looking pretty shifty at this. "This is all strictly hypothetical, of course."

"Yes, exactly so." Dumbledore said, looking immensely pleased, though a bit puzzled. "Hari Potter was ostracized from his house, bullying which resulted in cracking the foundations of Hogwarts, and I am hoping he will consent to being re-sorted."

"Well, I don't know about Harry Potter, Sir, but I think _**I'll**_ take that resorting you're offering just now." Hermione stated, and quick as lightning she grabbed the Sorting Hat out of his hands and slammed it on her head.

"_**SLYTHERIN!"**_

Hari looked gobsmacked at this new development, and she wasn't the only one. She'd had no idea that things in Gryffindor house were so bad for Hermione, but the nervous shifting from some of the other Gryffindors told her all she needed to know. The girl wasn't popular, because she was so very different from the average Gryffindor, and they nettled her for it. Nevermind all the House points she won for them, not when she berated them for ignoring their homework till the last minute. Neville came rushing over to Hermione, and stole the Sorting Hat from her head as well.

"I'm n-not about t-to be left here w-without one of the only p-people in this House that's willing to t-talk to me without making fun of me." He declared, in his nervous stuttering, right before slamming the hat on his head as well.

This time the sorting hat was a bit grim when he growled out. _**"SSSSlytherinnnn."**_

Dumbledore looked like he'd swallowed all of his lemon drops, and McGonagall looked like she was about ready to kill him. Hari wasn't sure she could contain her surprised amusement. This was the greatest turn around ever! The other Gryffindors were all looking around at each other in nervous confusion. The Weasley Twins looked like this was the biggest coup ever, and really, it was.

"Anyone _**else**_ thinking about being re-sorted?" Hari asked, unable to stop her lip from quirking up just a touch. "I'll wait."

* * *

"This has _**got**_ to be the most reckless thing I've ever done." Hermione says outloud, as they all walked down the hall.

"Yeah, but it was absolutely brilliant, Hermione." Neville insisted, as they went along.

"It really was." Harry hummed in agreement.

"What if they call me that horrid slur?!" Hermione shrieked, obviously panicking now. She had not thought this through, and was now freaking out about it.

"First off, there are _**plenty**_ of pureblood bigots in there, so of _**course**_ they're going to call you that horrid slur." Harry said, stopping them both, and put his hands on her shoulders. Professor McGonagall was a few feet behind them, escorting them down since it was so close to curfew, and stopped to give them a moment. "You, Hermione Granger, are a mudblood swot, and you will _**own**_ it because you are _**also**_ the _**smartest**_ witch in our year, those fussy pureblood bents included, and I'm pretty sure you know enough curses to light all our arses on fire. You will _**walk**_ in there with your head held high, and you will _**own**_ them."

"You're so sure that it will be that easy?" Hermione asked, looking hopeful.

"No, it will be bloody difficult, but I've already got a nice framework of guilt that you can work with, I suppose, and you have at _**least**_ three Slytherins that owe you a debt of some kind." Harry replied easily. "I've been comparing you to my mother; Both muggleborns, brightest in your year, and until recently…Gryffindors. I'd be willing to bet that both of you had to argue with the hat to place you in Gryffindor too."

"I did." Hermione admitted, sheepishly.

"I wanted t-to be in Gryffindor b-because of my m-mum and dad, but I d-don't think they would have liked the stuff that's happened t-to me." Neville said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Neville. I didn't know my mum and dad either, and I thought about picking Gryffindor to be closer to them too, but I picked Slytherin for True Friends." Harry admitted, letting go of Hermione's shoulders and looking to Neville. "It's not been easy finding them, but nothing worth it ever is."

"Gran is g-going to have k-kittens when she hears what I did." Neville said, looking green at the thought. "Ron is n-nice and all, but Hermione was the only o-one to really talk to m-me there. I couldn't l-let my only f-friend go alone. Mum and Dad w-wouldn't be very p-proud of me if I stood by and didn't do anything."

"That was very brave of you, Neville, very loyal." Harry stated, looking him in the eye. "Our parents would be proud of us no matter what House we're in, at least I should hope so, and I say we own that. What do you think?"

"I'd like that, Harry." Neville said, with a quiet smile. "It's g-good to have a Potter at my back."

"I could say the same about you, about both of you." Harry said, before looking to Professor McGonagall. "Thank you, for sticking up for me in there after these two were re-sorted."

"As the Deputy Headmistress, it is my duty to look after _**all**_ the students, Potter; not just the ones in my House." Professor McGonagall said, kind and stern all at the same time. "I take my job very seriously. Now, I am going to go find your Head of House, and let him know about the changes."

"Thank you, Professor." The three chimed.

When she was inside the office, Harry turned back to them, and asked. "How opposed are you two to making a grand entrance? I'm thinking we should announce your arrival with _**style, **_something completely flamboyant and ridiculous. Would a victory song and dance number be too much?"

* * *

Potter had been gone for far too long, Draco thinks. The Headmaster could be making some kind of play to trap him up in Gryffindor Tower. He should have never gone. It was a terrible idea, and now Draco was pacing in the common room with Blaise and Theo watching him. Some of the other Slytherins were around, watching him with amusement, when all heads turned towards the door that had just been kicked open.

Potter walks in with a big goofy expression, and shouts. "I have gone into enemy territory, and I brought back the spoils of war! May I present to you one Miss Hermione Granger, and one Neville Longbottom!"

The door opened up the rest of the way to reveal both Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. Both were now sporting Slytherin pins on their robes, and looking rather amusedly at their friend. Draco just stared in shock as the three of them walked into the room. Blaise already looked like he was having a field day, and Morgana only knew what Theo was thinking. One of the older Slytherins stopped them from getting too far into the common room, Moon, Draco realizes.  
"Both you Gryffindors need to get back to your tower. This isn't the place for you here." Moon stated, crossing his arms to look intimidating. "Mudbloods and Blood Traitors have no place in Slytherin."

"The entirety of Gryffindor House just watched these two get re-sorted." Hari pointed out, not looking quite as intimidating when he crossed his own arms in front of him, but not backing down either. "They're Slytherin now."

"Wait, so the Headmaster tried to re-sort you again?" Draco asked, stopping any objection the older Slytherin was about to make.

"Yep. Had all of Gryffindor there too because of the celebration, but none of them knew except for Ron, and he tried to warn me ahead of time." Hari admitted, with a nod. "No one is to go after him. The Headmaster manipulated him by bringing up the wellbeing of his family, and his desire to do right by them."

"How did you get Granger and Longbottom to follow you down here?" Theo asked, looking like he was not quite grasping the news yet.

"Granger got the Headmaster to reveal the circumstances needed for re-sorting, decided she fit the bill, and stole the Sorting Hat right out of the Headmaster's hands. The Sorting Hat would have placed her here, had she not pleaded for Gryffindor in the first place." Hari pointed out. "Longbottom decided that he was tired of being bullied by a House that was supposed to stand with him, and put the hat on too. Any other questions?"

This last one was asked to all of the common room.

"Yeah, I got one." Blaise called out. "You going to be recruiting Gryffindors into our ranks _**every**_ time you get invited up to the tower Potter?"

There was a lot of laughter at that.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Hari replied. "Ya'll didn't see just how _**hard**_ those Weasley Twins were staring at that hat. Maybe I should try and get them next. You think? Could you imagine it? The Weasley Twins down in the Dungeons?"

There was even more laughter after that.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight." Draco said, as the lot of them sat around in comfy plush chairs off to the side in the common room. "Not only was I right, but _**because**_ I was right, we got Granger and Longbottom?"

"Glad I went now?" Hari asked, preening, wiggling her eyebrows. It got a laugh out of Hermione, at any rate.

"_**No**_. This is the second time he's attempted a re-sorting, Potter." Draco huffed. She noticed he switched back to calling her Potter when he was annoyed. "He's not likely to stop unless we can come up with something that will _**make**_ him stop. You're not going back up there again, not alone. Mother would tan my hide herself if she thought I wasn't looking out for you, especially after she hears about this."

"Yes, well, that's a long goal." Hari said, waving him off. "Our _**immediate**_ goal is getting Hermione and myself a crash course in Wizarding Culture. Books can only take us so far, and this not knowing things is really annoying. There should be a bloody class for this! Neville, if you can help us, we would appreciate it. I've been doing some reading, but apparently there's nuances and ettiquette I can't quite get. Things that all of you take for granted, like childrens stories, or what to say at a dinner party."

"O-Of Course, Harry." Neville agreed.

"Think we can get some of the girls to help Hermione with a bit of it too? There's things they will know that Neville won't, because he's a boy." Hari said, looking to Draco and the others. Hermione was about to object to the sexism in that statement, when Hari looked back to her. "Hermione, there's just things they won't have been raised up knowing off hand. You want to change the world, then you have to know how it operates as it is now. I'm still playing catch up with all this stuff. So after we've absorbed all we can, if you still want to change the world, we'll make a plan for it. Yeah? I'm pretty sure that between the two of us, something will get blown up, and they'll never know what to do again."

"Alright, Harry." Hermione said, with a smile. She still looked a bit uneasy, but her magic was settled now. "I'll hold you to that."

"I certainly hope so." Hari said, laughing.

"Pansy and Daphne, you think?" Blaise asked Draco.

"Maybe Millicent too." Draco replied with a nod.

"Do you really think they'll help me?" Hermione asked, looking about as nervous as Neville on a good day.

"One way to find out." Hari replied, before running off to get Pansy. She'd never really spoken to the girl before, but Hari understood that as things stood, Pansy was the top ranking girl. If she could get Pansy to agree to this, and train Hermione in the ettiquette of a pureblood girl, the other girls would accept her without question. "Parkinson, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"The answer is no." Pansy said, with a glare. "I know what you want Potter, and I'm _**not**_ training that Mudblood. Besides, she's a swot."

"Yes, but now she's _**our**_ swot. Do you know how many House points she earned Gryffindor on a daily basis? Those will be Slytherin House Points now. Slytherins take care of their own, and I witnessed the re-sorting. If you don't trust me, trust Longbottom. He's more pureblood than me, and can't lie to save his arse." Hari pleaded, trying to ignore the hateful way Pansy had said Mudblood. She actually didn't know if Neville couldn't lie or not, but was banking on Pansy thinking he couldn't. "She's already smart enough to bring Gryffindor House to its knees, and off that high tower of theirs. Train her on how to be a proper pureblood lady of Slytherin House, and she'll be able to do it with grace and style."

"She's a rules lover, Potter." Pansy pointed out, glaring at him. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"If you can't figure out how to break the rules around someone who upholds them, then you aren't much of a Slytherin, are you?" Hari pointed out, earning herself another glare from Pansy. "Come _**on**_, Parkinson. She was rooming with Brown and Patil. Do you really think either of those two took the time to help guide her? They basically spent their time tearing her down, instead of helping her correct anything. You might tear someone down, but you'd at least give them tips on how to fix what's wrong. Think of her like a blank canvas. No one's ever taken the time with her before. Besides, I think she's a little more relaxed about rules since the troll incident."

"You could have lead with that." Pansy pointed out, with a condescending air. "Fine. Tell Granger I'm taking her in, but _**don't**_ expect me to be all nice about it. We're not _**all**_ into using niceness as a means, you know."

"And yet my network is _**better**_ than yours. I wonder why that is?" Hari mused mockingly, laughing when Pansy scowled at her before walking away.

* * *

Draco and Hermione were having some sort of stare-down while Hari was gone, neither one really backing down. Both were trying to figure each other out, and it was pure entertainment gold to Blaise and Theo. Neville just sort of sat out of the way, trying not to appear too nervous. Considering who his grandmother was, it was not surprising that he was a bundle of nerves anyway. That woman was intimidating on the best of days.

"Granger, you know this is going to be a hard road for you, don't you?" Blaise asks, effectively ending the stare-down the two were having, as Theo draws Neville into a conversation. "What did Hari say to you to convince you to join the snakes?"

"He didn't say anything. I…" At this, Granger hesitated, looking unsure of how to proceed. "I had to fight with the Sorting Hat in order to get it to put me in Gryffindor before. It wanted to put me here first, tried to argue that I had enough Slytherin qualities that after a while my blood wouldn't matter. I didn't want to fight to be accepted. I just wanted to fit in, and I'd heard that Gryffindor was the best House for that. I was wrong…"

"Are you ill, Granger, admitting that you were wrong about something?" Draco asked, trying to make light of the tension in the room.

"This is partially _**your**_ fault, you know." She said tersely, glaring at him, but then eased up. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. It's just…Well, you saw how well I fit in with Gryffindor House, how they treated me, and it only got worse after the Troll incident. It became glaringly obvious that it wasn't going to get any better. It was a Gryffindor who locked me in the girls loo with the troll, after all, nevermind that Ron tried to be a bit better afterwards. It was a Slytherin that got me out. Ron just thought I should always do his homework for him as payment for helping to rescue me from a situation _**he**_ put me in. _**You**_ acted like you owed _**me**_ something instead, because I lied for you. Gryffindor acted like I betrayed them by being grateful to you for saving my life, and then got angry when I lashed out at their treatment of me. That's not even mentioning all the things they did to me before that. What reason did I have to stay?"

* * *

It was days like today that really pushed the limits of his ability to keep his face impassive. He had known that letting Hari Potter go to that party had been a bad idea, but there'd been no legitimate reason he could think of to keep her from going, and she had been convinced that the Headmaster wouldn't try anything. In denial was more like it, Severus thought. Just because the Headmaster hadn't tried anything in a while didn't mean he'd given up, but he could understand the girl's hope for just that. She was a child still, after all, no matter her treatment from the Dursleys.

Minerva had come into his office, and for a moment he had feared the Headmaster had gotten his wish, but not only had the old goat not gotten his wish; he'd lost two additional students to Slytherin House due to his efforts. What a marvelous day this had turned out to be? But Granger and Longbottom? He could only imagine how the girl was playing it up to the other Slytherins, making sure that Granger and Longbottom would be accepted without too much fuss. They would stand united outside of House, which is probably why the two had re-sorted themselves, but they'd have to learn how to handle themselves in house.

While Minerva had not been happy about losing two of her most prized students, she could not fault them for leaving. She'd done what she could to cut down on the bullying, but when she wasn't there, what could she do? The two of them had gone together to see the Headmaster, who did not look like he'd been looking forward to their visit at all. Severus wondered just how much of an earful Minerva had given the man before coming to see him. He gestured tiredly to the chairs in front of his desk, and they settled in.

"I believe I have made an error in judgment when it comes to Hari Potter." Albus began, with a tired sigh.

"Oh?" Severus asked, acting obtusely clueless in this regard, mildly interested. "And what would that be, Albus? It wouldn't happen to be another attempt at re-sorting Potter, would it? Perhaps something that ended in Gryffindor losing two students to Slytherin?"

"You know, I think that might be it." Minerva said conclusively, playing along. "Unless there is _**another**_ mistake you have made, Albus?"

"No, that covers it, at least in regards recently to Hari Potter." Albus replied, looking like he did not much care for the two of them getting along to team up against him. "It seems I may have also disregarded Hermione Granger's and Neville Longbottom's complaints regarding their treatment in Gryffindor House. They had each come to me privately to complain about their treatment, and I dismissed them thinking it was simply children being children."

"What aren't you telling me, Albus?" Minerva asked, appearing ike she may hex the man whether he answered or not.

"They had requested a re-sorting before now, but I had told them they would simply have to make the best of it, that the requirements were quite hard to meet when it came to that." Albus admitted, practically wilting under her glare. "It seems I may have underestimated Miss. Granger's mind, as I thought she had hopefully forgotten the conversation altogether."

"She's more Slytherin than I would have thought." Severus mused, as he realized what had happened. "She waited for you, used your own trap against you to get what she wanted, and Longbottom…probably knew that's what she was doing, and waited it out with her. Yes. Quite Slytherin of them. I will enjoy these new additions to my House. Thank you, Albus, for your continued meddling."

"That hardly seems sporting, rubbing salt into the wound, Severus." Albus lightly scolded, though it sounded more like poutng.

"Slytherin." Severus replied, as if that explained everything, and in a way maybe it did.

"What are you planning, Albus? You can't possibly be thinking of continuing this." Minerva demanded, sternly. "I will not have you losing any more students from my House due to your machinations. What does it matter that Potter is in Slytherin? Have you not thought it might be best? Think of how many students will be lead to the light that way? Or at least neutrality. Why must Potter be in Gryffindor?"

"There are so many pieces to the board, so much to organize. Everything is simply easier to manage that way." Albus replied, unbothered by her questions.

"You mean Potter would be easier for you to control." Severus pointed out, angrily. He stood up, refusing to listen to any more of this. "Children are not chess pieces, Albus. Slytherins may look for connections, trade favors, or demand a price when asked to do something, but even _**they**_ have a regard for life above what you've just shown. Try that again, and I'll report you to the Board of Governors myself."

* * *

No one knew what to think about the new Slytherin additions. The underclassmen just took it as Potter being Potter. If he said those two were one of them, they'd go with it, complain a little, but they'd go with it. He certainly was right about Granger winning them House Points, and Neville was so unsuspecting that many of them weren't sure if he was hiding something or if he really was that naive. The upperclassmen still weren't sold on Potter, so they did not like the idea of bringing in a mudblood and a blood traitor into their ranks.

They knew they were going to have to do something soon. Potter had already begun to change the dynamics of the House to such a degree that he had his own court now. Potter and Malfoy seemed to lead it, while Zabini and Nott were Malfoy's advisers, and Granger and Longbottom were Potter's. Everyone knew Crabbe and Goyle were the muscle, but no one there thought they were as dumb as they portrayed themselves to be out of House, and they guarded the both of them. Even Parkinson, Greengrass, Bulstrode, and occasionally Davis were getting involved. This had to stop! So they watched, and they planned, and they waited for the moment to strike and show that little upstart that kindness had no place in Slytherin; and neither did he.

* * *

Draco felt the magic shift in the common room, and realized that once again, Potter was without an escort. No one in their group went without one, not after Granger and Longbottom got added, especially not Potter. The problem was, those muggles had left Hari to his own devices for so long that he was used to not needing anyone, and that just wasn't smart here. The Headmaster was after him because he was some kind of really valuable chess piece, the upperclassmen didn't like him because he was nice, the underclassmen didn't know what to make of him, and he attracted trouble worse than a hungarian horntail. The idiot didn't even call on Dobby for anything other than shopping type things most of the time.

He was scrambling down to get to the Common Room, and came upon a most unusual sight. Potter wasn't alone, which was good, but he was with only Granger and Longbottom, which was bad. The three of them were standing toe to toe with a group of sixth years. Potter's eyes were glowing killing curse green as he stood slightly in front of the other two as if to shield them. Draco was about to move to Potter's side when the group of sixth years made their move, and they bounced off of some invisible shield Potter'd had around them; which would need to be further explored later, as wandless magic was not taught till fifth year, if it could be picked up at all.

Suddenly Dobby appeared in front of the boys that had tried to attack Potter and the others, and shouted, "You will _**not**_ harm Harry Potter!"

After the house elf shouted this, he snapped his fingers, causing all of the sixth years attacking Potter to turn into chickens. There were a few others in the common room who also turned into chickens, but Draco reasoned that they must have been thinking about planning to hurt Potter or the two close to him. Potter looked at everything, and then caught Draco's eye, and before he knew it they were all laughing about it. Before they could get too carried away, Professor Snape charged into the Common Room carrying a chicken. One look around the room, and he whirled around to find Potter.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape demanded.

"Dobby is protecting Harry Potter, Sir." Dobby responded dutifully, and pointed to the chicken in Snape's arms. "He must have wanted to cause harm to Master Potter, or else it wouldn't have done that."

"It smells of garlic…Quirrell?" Potter guessed, looking at it. "Wait a minute…why does it have a tiny face on the back of it's head? Like an adorably angry kitten or something."

"Severus! Severus, you weren't in your office, and something has happened to the Headmaster!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, as she charged in at that moment. "He…"

"Oh! Oh! Let me guess. Turned into a chicken?" Draco asked, innocently, trying very hard to keep his face neutral.

Potter just grinned, and sighed. "I love magic."

* * *

AN: Will update when I can, other stories too


	9. End of Year One

Chapter 9

"Why can't we keep the Headmaster as a chicken again?" Hari asked, unable to keep from grinning. "I think he looks **_marvelous_** like this. I mean, you saw those feathers. They're absolutely glorious, and you know it."

"Be that as it may, Potter. He can not possibly run a school this way." Professor McGonagall pointed out, doing her best to remain stern.

"I'm not sure how he was doing it before, Professor, what with being obsessed with me and everything." Hari replied, with a sheepish grin. "Can I at **_least_** keep Quirrell? He's got that cute little angry face on the back of his head. That has to be suspicious on some level, I'm sure, but it's adorable because it's so tiny right now."

"We've talked about things being adorable, and the inappropriateness of the things you put on that list, Hari." Draco groaned. "A teacher turned chicken with a tiny evil face on the back of its head is **_not_** adorable."

"But it **_is!_** Just **_look_** at it!" Hari said, excitedly, as she turned to grab the chicken; only to have it burn her and the chicken both. The tiny head on the back of the Quirrell chicken began shrieking in agony, and Professor Snape clamped his right hand down on his left arm.

Only Hari wasn't able to actually let go. Some kind of magic kept her grip on the chicken, even as it burned her to do so. It clucked wildly as it tried to peck at her to get itself free, while Hari screamed in pain, and Professor Snape fell to his knees in silent agony even as he continued gripping his arm. Professor McGonagall is able to cast some spell that Hari can't really hear at the moment for all the screaming, and it removes the chicken from her arms. Everyone kind of takes a moment to recover from what happened, with no one acknowledging the silenced floating chicken in the middle of the room.

"Alright,…would someone mind telling me what the bloody hell just happened?" Hari asked, weakly.

"_**Language**_, Potter." Professor McGonagall admonished, but it's a bit halfhearted.

The room's feeling a bit too tense, especially with all of the hilariousness that is the student chickens around them, so in a fit of silliness, Hari adds. "So that's a _**no**_ on me keeping Quirrell-cluck then? Something tells me he'd be too high maintenance anyway."

* * *

If asked later, Severus will deny how his shoulders shook with the effort not to laugh at that. The girl is absolutely ridiculous, and it's a wonder no one else has figured out her secret yet. His mind already switches it to Dumble-cluck, and then proceeds to think of all manner of other names for the Headmaster, each one more ridiculous than the last. He will not admit this to the students in his charge. He may, in his heavily warded office, quietly share them with Minerva. Maybe he'll invite Lucius too, and the three of them can make a day of it.

They'll have to do something about Quirrell to keep him away from both Potter and Dumbledore till they can figure out what to do with the clucking professor. Minerva must be on the same train of thought, because she uses another spell and the chicken vanishes. He'll ask about it later. Right now, they need to get the students back to their regular dunderheaded selves. Only, Hari doesn't seem too interested in turning them back. Logically, he understands this, considering every one that was a chicken wanted to hurt her in some way, but realistically he knows they can't stay this way, and now all he has to do is convince a girl hiding out as a boy to change the people who wanted to hurt her back into normal, instead of keeping them as feathery forms of clucking entertainment. No pressure.

"Dobby, I know you were just protecting Potter, but we need the students to be students again." Severus explained, sternly. "It's my job to take care of punishments, but I can't do that if they're laying eggs. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir, but Harry Potter has not ordered Dobby to right them, Sir." Dobby explained, with wide eyes. "Dobby is a good house elf! Dobby will protect his master!"

"Dobby, it's okay. You probably should turn them back." Hari replies sheepishly. "Thank you for protecting me though. You are the _**best**_ house elf."

Dobby straightened up at that, and snapped his fingers, returning the students to their original conditions. Immediately, they all start looking around at themselves, as if making sure there aren't still feathers in places. One is holding an egg, looking mortified, and Severus isn't sure what to think about that. He feels a headache coming on regardless. No one, who was turned into a chicken, looks at Potter for the rest of the day. He doubted very much they would look at her ever again without being reminded of what happened to them, and he imagines that they would like to obliviate this from their memories altogether.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Headmasters office, an unusually bewildered Albus Dumbledore sat looking around at the obvious mess of feathers that had been made. He remembered talking to Minerva one moment, and then the next he was sitting there as he was. He coughed, surprised to find more feathers in his mouth. Apparently, he had not just 'dreamed' Minerva chasing him about the office, and now he wondered where she'd gone, and if she'd figured out what had happened. He'd been trying to figure out a way to convince Hari to be resorted, something Minerva had been actively advocating against, and the next thing he knew he had an office filled with feathers. Fawkes was looking at anything but him, and if he had to guess, the light song he sang almost sounded like laughter.

* * *

No one seemed surprised when Quirrell did not return to classes after a while. There was the curse on the position to consider after all. If that just so happened to coincide with The Great Chicken Invasion of Hogwarts, who were they to question it? As it was not even close to the end of the school year, someone had to take up temporarily teaching D.A.D.A. It was taken up by a few of the teachers, so as not to overload anyone of them, but what was more surprising was that all they had to do was follow Quirrell's lesson plans. Apparently, having He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the back of one's head had been good for something.

When Minerva and Severus went to the shrieking shack, where she'd vanished Quirrell-Cluck, they had discovered a most gruesome sight. Blood and feathers were everywhere, and in the center of it all was Quirrell's body. The back of his head looked like it had been blown out till it exploded from the inside. Severus could attest to the cruelty of the Dark Lord, knowing that that was probably exactly what had been done to the man for failing him. He and Minerva just shared a grim look, before vanishing the mess, and making sure to gently prepare the body to take back. They felt they should give the man a proper burial; For even with all his misgivings, he had been one of them once, and they were filled with remorse that he had lost his way.

The rest of the year passed by with little incident. Albus had to get rid of his elaborate test, seeing as how it was no longer needed, and the stone was returned to Nicolas Flamel and his wife. Hagrid was sad that Albus was making him get rid of the Cerberus, but really. Where was he planning on keeping it? The man lived in a small wooden hut! They should have known though, that even though the year almost done, it wasn't over yet.

* * *

Dobby was the best house elf, hands down. He had worked with the Goblins of Gringotts to find just the right craftsmen to get this done, and now Hari was looking at a set of intricately ornate looking quills, made from the chicken feathers of the Headmaster and those of the other Slytherins that had been wishing to harm her. Two were immediately sent to the Malfoys, with a note explaining what they were. No doubt Lord and Lady Malfoy would appreciate them greatly.

Next, she sent a few back to Gringotts as gifts to the tellers and her account manager. One went to Minister Fudge, with no explanation as to what it was, just that she'd heard he might need a new quill. Draco got one, along with Blaise, Theo, Hermione, and Neville. Though he did not know it, she also sent one to Neville's Grand mother, thinking that she might appreciate the irony. She kept one for herself, of course, and there were enough left over for every teacher to have one as well. There really had been a lot of feathers, and Dobby was the very best house elf after all. There was only three left to give.

"Ron, Gred, Forge." She said, nodding to each of them, when she got to the Gryffindor table that morning for breakfast. "I wanted to give you something."

"You don't have to do that, Harry." Ron mumbled, turning colours. He still felt bad about what he'd done.

"It's not much, and it's prank related, so I thought the three of you would like it." She said, presenting each one with a small elongated box.

"While these are fine quills, Harry." Fred remarked, looking over the one he'd opened.

"I don't understand how they are prank related." George admitted, looking at his own.

"Oh. Those are the feathers from when Dobby turned the Headmaster into a chicken." Hari replied, with a wicked grin. Ron nearly choked on his pumpkin juice.

"_**Wicked**_." He exclaimed, now opening his own box.

"There were a _**lot**_ of feathers." Hari hummed with amusement.

"Listen, is…are Hermione and Neville alright?" Ron asked, looking uncomfortable. "Like…are they getting treated well in Slytherin? I mean, Neville's…Neville, and Hermione is…well, they wouldn't have very nice things to say, would they?"

"They are doing well, for the most part. You should see Hermione stick it to some of the upper years." Hari replied, with a slight grin, thinking back on some instances. "Her and Pansy can't decide if they want to be friends or enemies. Neville is such a nice quiet bloke that half of the House is convinced he's secretly planning their deaths, so they don't know what to do when he offers to help them with their homework or something."

At that moment, the post came in, and several owls headed for the Head Table. Hari just winked at them, and scrambled back to her table. She wanted to make sure she had a good seat for what was about to happen. She said nothing to the others, as Hermione and Draco were in a spirited debate about something or another. Neville was looking at her oddly, so that must mean that his Gran got a hold of him about the quill. Hari just gave a slight nod, and turned to keep a slight eye on the Head Table.

It was at that moment that Professor Snape looked like he was frozen in his chair. He looks like he's about to either implode or laugh, but no one has ever seen him laugh, so implosion sounds more likely. All around him, the other professors are having similar reactions, so maybe laughing might actually be a thing their Head of House can do. Professor McGonogall just looks even more stern than usual, but Hari wonders if that is how she's been hiding her humour. Professor Sinistra doesn't even bother, shaking as she's chuckling into her hand.

"Are those…" Blaise tries to ask.

"_**Yes**_." Hari replies with a mischievous grin.

"But won't they…" Theo tries to ask.

"_**Yes**_." Hari nods, grinning all the more for it.

"Harry, is that against the rules?" Hermione asked, as she frowned.

"Where?" Draco scoffs. "He isn't causing harm, and it's within his using niceness as a Slytherin means."

"It's just…of all the things…and _**that's**_ what you pick?" Hermione replied, unable to hold back her own slight smile.

"Laughter is the best medicine, or so I'm told." Hari replied smoothly. Those that heard that were inclined to chuckle a bit in reply.

* * *

When he makes it back to his office, Albus finds a familiarly shaped box waiting for him on his desk. He'd been wondering why he'd been left out of the quill giving Hari had sent out, thinking surely she would like for his reaction to be seen by the whole school as well. However, here in the privacy of his office, he has the freedom to do what the teachers did not in the Great Hall. He allows himself to laugh at the gift, knowing that it was something that James would have done in his younger school days. It is only later, when the odd slightly ticklish sensation hasn't left him, that he wonders what Hari had had done to the quills, now certain that this is something James would have done to him if the young man had been given half the chance.

* * *

Severus has to wait till he's in the safety of his office before he loses it. There is no way he is not going to use that quill for every damned thing he can think of now. He's never written a grocers list in his life, but he'll start to now, and he'll use that quill to do it! He knows without having to use it first, just what Potter has had done to it, probably to all of them. It would take Albus a good while to undo all the charm work aimed at him now. Maybe that would hold off his next attempt to re-sort the child.

Minerva came into his office, looking much more stern than usual, but she had laughter in her eyes. She barely made it till he'd summoned the door closed before she was outright belly laughing. It was just as well, because at that moment the Floo activated, and Lucius stepped through. The man was laughing as well, though somehow the man never did anything without looking like a well mannered nobleman. They had been meeting at least once a week to work out how to go about Lucius' plan, so this was rather fortuitous, that this had all happened today.

"Merlin's _**beard**_, I can't even begin to imagine what that man must be thinking right now." Lucius admitted, once he'd calmed down.

"I _**did**_ warn him." Minerva remarked, though she looked quite unapologetic about it all. "Any news on getting in to see Black?"

"I was making headway till Weasley found out about it." Lucius grumbled. "As soon as that meddlesome blood traitor found out I was even trying to get in to see the man, he began lobbying the others against me."

"If Albus got to him-" Severus began.

"We can't know that." Minerva insisted, interrupting him. "He could just be lobbying against him because he is a Malfoy. Arthur is a good man. If we could bring him in-"

"Even if he could Occlude his mind, Arthur is too loyal to Dumbledore not to trust him." Severus pointed out. "We will have to go about this another way."

"Is there anyone else we can get to try?" Lucius asked.

"One, though I am loathed to try and reach out to him." Severus grumbled, thinking of the only person Weasley might not work against. "Minerva, would you be able to do it?"

"I believe so, but are you sure, Severus?" Minerva asked, showing genuine concern for him. "The two of you have not had the best of histories."

"That would be putting it mildly." Severus drawled, thinking about the incident. "But Black will be able to take guardianship of Potter when he is cleared, and we can not clear him if we can not get to him."

"I'll see what I can do." Minerva said, grimly. "What about monitoring those Dursleys? I can't go as my animagus form, not now that the child has seen it."

"There's a squib living near his home as well." Lucius stated, a bit lost in thought. "I was able to get away with the disillusionment once, but we can't risk it too many more times."

"I think I can afford to make a visit." Severus remarked, with a sly grin. "It's been some time since I've spoken with Tuney."

"Do you plan on warning the boy first?" Lucius asked, rather curious about this turn of events.

"No." Severus stated, frowning. "Despite Potter's hatred of living there, the child still holds familial bonds with at least the young cousin. Warning would just lead to worry, and worry would lead to warning them."

"No warning then." Minerva said, with a heavy sigh. "I have Amelia looking into just how it escaped most everyone's notice that Black never received a trial. She wasn't with the D.M.L.E then. We're to have lunch next week, if I can. I think she may have found something that can help us."

* * *

"So help me, Parkinson, if you don't shut it, I'll spell you bald!" Hermione growled, slamming her hand on the table. "I'm trying to study!"

"Is there really a spell for that?" Hari asked, unable to keep her thoughts to herself.

"I don't know, but if there isn't, I'll invent it." Hermione exclaimed.

"Remind me never to get on Granger's bad side." Draco muttered, not even looking up from his essay. "I'd like to get through my Charms essay before she kills me at least."

Final exams were coming up, and Hermione had the lot of them on a brutal time table that had many of them wondering if they could just drop out of school now and live off their inheritances. Out of all of them, Neville was the most calm about it. He'd dealt with Hermione's pre test anxiety before, and made a few quiet suggestions to Hari. After a moment, Dobby showed up with chamomile tea for everyone, the strong stuff for Hermione. It didn't do anything right away, but slowly she began to relax enough that she wasn't yelling every time Parkinson made a snippy comment about her hair.

Instead, Parkinson ends up with her very own Hermione style hair. Try as she might, she can't get it to go back to normal. Hermione just sits there, drinking her chamomile tea, looking **_way_** too smug for her to actually be innocent. By the time they get to Potions, Pansy's hair is ridiculously huge, and it's amazing she can get into the room. Someone, probably Ron, starts putting pickled eyes in it when Professor Snape's back is turned, and by the end of class she looks like something that could tell your future and curse you all at once.

Madam Pomfrey just stares at it, runs a few diagnostic spells on it, and shakes her head. She's never seen anything like it, and has no idea how she's going to get the girl's hair back to normal. Professor Snape questions Hermione, but the girl looks completely innocent, puts on the greatest waterworks display Hari's ever seen. He looks impressed for a fraction of a second, before hiding it behind his cool facade and insisting to Madam Pomfrey of the girl's innocence, which makes Hari think that she might need to take lessons on how to act cry from Hermione. Pansy would just have to work out how to fix her own problems, as bad hair days were not a good enough reason to miss class.

So imagine, surprise surprise, Hermione sneaks back into the Hospital Wing and tells Pansy how to reverse the spell on her hair. All she has to do is not call her a Mudblood anymore. The spell is tied to a word, not a person, and Pansy had been quite vocal about her. It was no surprise that the spell hit her hardest, though it had only covered the girls in their year to avoid suspicion. It also explained why Madam Pomfrey had been unable to find the cause right away. At least things were set to right before the leaving feast.

* * *

Hari didn't for a second believe that Aunt Petunia didn't remember that her sister hadn't been able to use magic at home. She also knew everything would be taken from her when they got home. It's why she's strapped her secondary holster to her leg with her actual wand in it, and her fake stick wand in place of the primary. She insists that Dobby remain invisible while at the Dursleys, because she doesn't know what will happen when they figure out he's there. Dumbledore insists she has to go back home, and she knows it is because of the blood wards, but she doesn't plan on staying there any longer than necessary.

It occurs to her that now that she has Dobby, she doesn't have to stay with the Dursleys at all. Dudley is nice enough, but she isn't sure she wants to stay just for him. So after all the yelling is done, and they've handed out her chores, she explains to Dudley about the blood wards. She explains what they are, what they do, and why they're there; she does not tell him about Dobby. She isn't sure what good Muggle Defense courses are going to do, but Dudley seems keen on it, and so she agrees that it might be a good idea. She agrees to stay till just before her birthday.

Dobby is able to apparate between the Dursleys and her friends, so letters aren't a problem. She doesn't tell her friends that Uncle Vernon has a screw loose, and that Aunt Petunia would drown in the rain if her nose tilted any higher. She _**does**_ tell them things are tense, but under control. So she is more than a little surprised when she comes home from the park one day to see bars on her window, and a cat flap on the door to her room. Without having to ask, she knows her aunt and uncle have managed to weasel it out of Dudley when she planned on leaving; she just gives a halfhearted smile at his nervous fidgeting, and continues walking into the room, only to have Aunt Petunia lock the door on her.

* * *

Azkaban was a horrible place, but as much as he hated being here, he had a job to do. Lucius Malfoy had pulled a lot of strings to get here, including putting that blundering werewolf as a potential professor next year, to get what he wanted, and what he wanted was to see Sirius Black in Azkaban. The guards were surprised to see him, but the warden had been informed of his scheduled visit, and Sirius Black was prepared in one of the waiting rooms. Lucius Malfoy had only spent a few months in here, and he had looked awful by the end of it. Sirius Black had spent close to twelve years in this hell hole, and didn't even budge when Lucius slammed the door.

The man was cleaned up, but even soap couldn't wash away the madness in his eyes, the hatred upon seeing him. However, Sirius made no move to attack him. The shackles would have prevented it regardless, but many who lost their minds here would have attempted it anyway. Neither spoke as Lucius sat down on the other side of the table across from Sirius. In all honesty, looking at how the man was now, Lucius wasn't sure his plan was going to work.

"What do you know about Petunia Dursley nee Evans?" Lucius asked.

Sirius blinked rapidly, no doubt surprised by the random line of questioning. "That woman was a right piece of work when I met her. Called us all freaks for our magic. Why are you here, Malfoy?"

"Because your godson is staying with that right piece of work." Lucius revealed, but Sirius seemed more confused than ever.

"Godson? I don't _**have**_ a godson, Malfoy." Sirius scoffed. "What trickery is this?"

"Hari Potter is not your godson?" Lucius asked, in confusion. Surely he had not gotten his facts wrong.

"Hari Potter is _**not**_ my godson." Sirius answered, now looking thoroughly amused. **_"She_** is my god_**daughter**_."

"I'm sorry. What?" Lucius demanded, thinking back to every interaction he'd had with the boy…er…girl. "You mean to tell me…_**That's**_ the secret?…what he's holding over her head?…why he thinks he can force a resorting?…"

"Start making sense, or get out, Malfoy." Sirius demanded. "I've got a lot of rotting away in a cell to do, and I'd like to get back to it, if you don't mind."

"Sirius Black, you and I have much to discuss." Lucius Malfoy stated, quite simply. "It seems your goddaughter has somehow gotten herself into a spot of trouble she's not going to be able to escape on her own. If you wish to have any hope of helping her, you're going to have to listen to me."

"Why would you be interested in helping her?" Sirius demanded. "She's the enemy of your Dark Lord, after all."

"Slytherins protect their own." Lucius replied, inwardly smirking, and waited for the man to lose his mind.

"She's…She's…in _**Slytherin?!**_" Sirius exclaimed, in disbelief.

"She is. She rooms with my son, the Zabini boy, and the Nott boy. Considering I had no idea she was a girl, I doubt they do either." Lucius stated, watching as the man seemed to be trying to absorb all of this. "What I do know is that she seems to be Slytherin enough to keep everyone guessing and on their toes. She stayed at the Manor for the Christmas holidays, and I had no idea she was a girl."

"This is…possibly the greatest prank James would have never thought of." Sirius cracked, his laughter coming out in wheezes, but when he calmed down, he asked. "It seems strange to ask you this, Malfoy, but would you tell me about her? She's in Slytherin house, hadn't expected that, and staying with _**Petunia**_ of all people?"

So Lucius told him what he knew of the girl, still reeling from that little tidbit of news. Oh, he was not going to tell Draco about this. The girl had set him up to guess it himself, and he was amused with that. Perhaps he would tell Cissa though, to help the girl with things a witch needed to know. If Cissa didn't have her suspicions, he'd eat his own shoes.

He told the man that Potter had landed in Slytherin because of her desire for real friends, and that she used niceness like a Slytherin means. Her information network was better than anything Draco or the Parkinson girl had come up with on their own. Her magical power was off the chart, which they found out because of Draco's stunt with the rucksack. He explained how Potter hadn't seemed to know much about the magical world, how Slytherin house had used that to their advantage, till the incident when she'd flooded the dungeons. He'd surprised the man when he explained that Severus had become protective of the girl, how he'd berated the entire House for their actions, how he had seen her do a fifty foot dive to successfully catch a clear rememberall.

He told Sirius how she'd made the House team in her first year, and had been doing a good job of keeping everyone's hearts lodged in their throats with the stunts she could pull in the air. Potter had begun subtly making everyone in Slytherin House learn more about muggles, even as she tried to learn everything about the wizarding world that she could, and she had friends in every House. Sirius was absolutely livid to learn that Dumbledore was trying to blackmail her into getting resorted into Gryffindor House, that he'd been stealing from her for years, and that the man had forced her to live with people who hated her. She'd stayed over at the Manor for the Holidays, had cooked for them, exchanged presents, and played in the snow. She'd befriended both a Malfoy and a Weasley, and trusted him with her life, though not her secrets.

She'd deigned to wear a Weasley Jumper in Malfoy Manor, and nothing had exploded. She'd talked Cissa into walking around in Muggle London. With words alone, she'd made him consider that maybe all muggleborns needed was a wizarding society class, and maybe to update the muggle study coarse. As it was, that class was a joke, and everyone knew it. What she did not know was that Lucius had gone to her muggle home, that the blood wards had simply let him through, that she'd lived in a cupboard under the stairs, that she was being mentally abused and quite possibly physically abused by the muggles who were to raise her, and that only the youngest beach ball of a son had any redeeming qualities about him.

He'd waited till Sirius had calmed down before telling him that Dumbledore had tried to resort her again, and that it resulted in a Muggleborn named Granger and a Longbottom being sorted into Slytherin instead. Convenient that several Slytherins and Dumbledore had turned into chickens when someone attacked Potter, thanks to Dobby. Sirius laughed hard when Lucius described what the girl had done with the feathers. Unfortunately, both knew it would be some time before Sirius could be set free, having never had a trial in the first place. It would take a considerable amount of resources and favors in order to get this done, so much so that Lucius wondered just how well Potter's approach would work in this instance.

* * *

"Dobby." Hari called quietly, when she knew everyone was asleep. Dobby reappeared at her side a second later, having been invisible instead of needing to apparate in. "Can you go to Gringotts for me? I need to send them a letter."

"Of course, Harry." Dobby whispered. "Gringotts is open all hours. Is home of Goblin Nation underground. Someone is always beings there. They will help you."

"Good. Take this to them. Stay till they give a reply. When you come back, be invisible. I don't know who will be in the room with me." Hari stated, and handed him the letter she'd worked out earlier. Dobby nodded, taking the letter and disappearing with the quietest of pops.

While she knew that the adults were working on something to get her out of here, she didn't think she had the time to wait for them. What she did know was that she had access to portions of three family vaults, and if she had access to that, she could take care of herself. She'd sent the Goblins a request for a list of properties that either of the vaults maintained, and a list of the requirements she would need for the home she chose. It needed to be unable to be found, unable to be traced, broken into, or visible if at all possible. She needed that place to be her safe haven, from any enemies she may have, any tricks that may be played; anything.

A touch to her hand let her know that Dobby had come back, and when she nodded, he reappeared.

"They be sayings that there is one place that is beings perfect, that they can set a Secret Keeper to take care of all the needs you will be payings for, and that they would be happy to add their most deadly security measures if you wish." Dobby whispered, handing her a letter back. "They be sayings that there is a small problem though. An abandoned house elf lives in it, and it has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Dobby knows this elf. Kreacher is an old elf, set in his ways, loves his Mistress. Her son is Sirius Black. That is why the house is beings abandoned. Kreacher is addled, but Dobby believes he can be a good house elf again if he has someone like Harry Potter to guide him."

"Alright, tell Ragnock that I want him to be my Secret Keeper. I want a team to sweep through the house and take care of anything it finds. Curses, creatures, anything. Have them treat Kreacher with care. He's been alone a long time." Hari whispered back. "I want every security measure they want to add that's practical for the place. I want a list of them, and I want to know of any problems. They have my permission to use as much of my vaults as they want for this. I want this done as quickly as possible. I may not have a lot of time left before something bad happens here."

"Dobby understands. I will relay the message." Dobby whispered, drawing himself up as nobly as he could, before softly disappearing again.

Hari knows that it will take time, even with magic, to get the place ready. So she will just have to make due with whatever means she has till it is done. There is one thing besides her wand that they did not manage to take from her, the two way journal that the Malfoy's had given her for Christmas, but she doesn't know if it will work with ink pens. There is little choice in the matter, and so she gives it a try. She has not used it till this moment, has not needed it till now.

She tells them things are getting intense, but that she can't tell them more because of more than a few reasons. One, she is absolutely sure they would eviscerate these people if they knew what was going on. Two, she was taking measures to ensure her safety that she couldn't tell them about. The rest of her reasons fell into subcategories of the main two, so she just kept quiet about it, and tells them she is doing what she can. The ink disappears, and Hari falls asleep waiting for a reply, but a small flair of magic wakes her a short while later.

As predicted, Mrs. Malfoy is livid but polite. While she's not advising to stay, as a mother she has a hard time thinking running away is the best answer, but she is wise enough to know that there is no help they can give that will not be seen as kidnapping by the authorities. The ink disappears after a little while, and Hari goes to sleep, knowing that things will get better. Granted, they'll get worse first, but she had hope.

* * *

"What do you mean 'Hari is planning to run away'?" Lucius asked, urgently, trying to keep his voice down so that he did not wake their son.

"That's exactly what I mean. Hari is planning on running away. Something has _**happened**_, Lucius." Narcissa hissed back, trying to keep her voice down as well. "Hari will not talk about it, but I know something had to have happened. There's never been a need for code before, not like this, and yet that correspondence was littered with it. What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do, Cissa, except keep working on the plans we are." Lucius sighed, and wrapped his arms around her. "Hari must know that. It explains the correspondence through the book instead of the letters through Dobby. We will simply have to wait, and keep going on as we have."

* * *

AN: Sorry I've not been writing, been in a depressive funk for a while, but I'm back!


	10. Rough Summer, Year Two

Chapter 10

"Dobby." She whispers once her aunt and uncle had taken Dudley off to Smeltings.

They were nearing time for her to go to Hogwarts again, but her Aunt and Uncle were refusing to let her out of her room for long periods of time. They absolutely refused to take her to King's Cross Station, as if refusing to take her there meant that somehow the magic would leave her. That was Uncle Vernon's thinking, she knew. Aunt Petunia knew better, but Hari had a feeling the woman liked watching the eyes of her sister suffer. In retaliation, Hari glared at her at every opportunity.

"Yes, Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, once he'd revealed himself. She couldn't help but jump as he did so, having been on high alert for the whole summer.

"Is there anyone still in the house?" Hari asked, knowing that there wasn't, but needing to make sure.

"No one but Harry Potter and Dobby, Sir." Dobby insisted. She still had no idea if he knew she was a girl or not.

About that time, the sound of keys clanging together drifted up to them.

"Get Professor Snape. Now." Hari said, suddenly, and Dobby was gone with a small pop.

She had no idea why, but she was suddenly very afraid. Uncle Vernon had made it no secret that if her magic wasn't gone, something was going to happen. What that something was, he never specified, but she hadn't particularly wanted to find out. Now was no different. Heavy foot steps sounded from the stairs, and Hari wasted no time in trying to put anything and everything in front of that door. _Stupid no magic trace rule_, she grumbled in her thoughts as she put all of her strength into pushing her dresser in front of her door, _was probably only made so kids couldn't fight back_.

"Thought you could get away with it, did you?" Uncle Vernon gloated, as he stalked up the stairs. Hari's heart went into her throat, and she redoubled her efforts on the dresser. "Thought you could turn my own son against me? I know what you've been doing. I know you've been using your freakishness to make me look bad at work!"

About that time, Professor Snape shows up, looking more than a little confused as Dobby transported him into the room. Hari would take a moment to appreciate how hilarious his bewilderment is, but she's a bit preoccupied with barricading her door against her uncle. The man takes a moment, absorbing the scene before him, and then his expression changes into something thunderous as he listens to her uncle threaten to beat her within an inch of her life. 'It's not like her freakishness wouldn't heal the wounds', as the man knew from experience. The dresser looks like it will hold against the door, but each time Uncle Vernon slams against the door, the dresser jars a little more.

"Where are your school things?" Professor Snape asked, keeping his voice low.

"My old room. I've been having Dobby bring the things I need to do my homework." She whispered. He scowled, knowing to where she was referring.

"Dobby, can you get Potter's school things, and bring them here?" Professor Snape asked. Dobby nodded, his ears flapping lightly. "Good. Be careful, and make sure not to be seen."

It took mere seconds for Dobby to retrieve her things and return.

"Thank you, Dobby." Hari whispered, when he returned. Her things were shrunk by the professor, and pocketed.

"Now, Dobby, I would like for you to take Potter to Malfoy Manor, specifically to Narcissa Malfoy, if you would, please." Professor Snape stated. "I will be joining you momentarily, and I imagine Narcissa will want to make sure Potter is well for herself."

"What will you be doing, Professor?" Hari asked, wide eyed as she backed away from the door. The dresser wouldn't hold for much longer.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Potter." Professor Snape insisted, but she hesitated to go with Dobby even so, and he sighed. "A simple chat is all."

"He doesn't sound like he'll be all that receptive." Hari ventured, doubtfully.

"Then it is a good thing the chat will not be with him." Professor Snape remarked, right before Dobby whisked her away.

* * *

Dobby just showed up in their sitting room with no warning, Potter in tow. Draco didn't even get a chance to say anything, before his mother was checking his friend over. Once she was satisfied Potter was safe and whole, she gave him a sound tongue lashing. The strange thing was that she kept hugging him in between sentences, and Draco can only remember a handful of times where this has happened to himself, usually when he'd somehow almost killed himself, like that time he tried flying without supervision before he really knew how. It's odd watching it happen to someone else.

Potter just grins, and replies. "I missed you too, Aunt Cissa."

That just made his mother cry, and hug Potter more.

"Alright, would someone tell me what's going on?" Draco asked, clearly not used to being out of the loop.

"It's a long story, and I'd really like to sleep for at least a week now that I don't have to watch out for the Dursley's trying to catch me doing something freakish anymore." Potter replied, and it was then that Draco realized how utterly exhausted his friend looked. "I think if it wasn't for Dobby, I wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all. They knew I was planning to leave them, and…I just…I can't…"

"Erm…Potter?" Draco questioned, uncertainly…just before Potter passed out.

"I was wondering how long it would take him." His father murmurs from the door.

"Did you just _**drug**_ him?" Draco asked, as he realized what has happened to his friend.

"I suspect exhaustion finally caught up with him." His mother corrected.

"I'll take him to the room he was in when he stayed with us before." His father stated, picking up Potter from the floor. "I imagine Severus will be around soon?"

This question is to Dobby, who hadn't objected to his master being picked up, and the house elf nods.

"He is having chat with muggles what mistreat Harry Potter." Dobby replied, as sternly as he could manage. "Dobby did what he could, but Harry Potter did not wish to leave and come back, said they would find ways of seeing, ways of knowing, and it would be easier to just stay till school, especially after they locked Harry Potter up."

"Locked Potter up?" Draco asked, sure that he'd misheard that.

"Perhaps that is a topic best left till Severus gets here." His father recommended, as he began leaving the room, Potter asleep in his arms. "If Potter doesn't already have a plan to deal with them, Severus will."

"This is Potter though." Draco objected. "What's he going to do? Nice them to death?"

"Perhaps." His father allowed, with a slight smirk as he walked away. "If he can crack the foundations of Hogwarts with it, imagine what he could do to them."

Draco winced at the reminder, but he knew what was implied. It hadn't exactly been kindness that had fueled Potter's magic then, but it had been the reason they'd made it out of that room alive. Even so, he isn't sure how it will cover something like this. Before Potter'd clammed up about his home life, he'd revealed a lot. How did you nice someone into not abusing you anymore? Because that's what this was, and he knew it.

* * *

Patunia Dursley felt a sense of dread as she entered her home. This summer had not gone as planned. The boy had come back from that school, and even though they'd locked up his school things, odd occurrences still presented themselves; more after they'd locked him up too. Even more unusual, the boy and their Duddykins were actually getting along. They weren't supposed to do that. That boy was a freak!

Strange, the lights should have been on. Vernon opted to come back on his own, while she had decided to stay out for a bit of shopping after dropping off their son. She flicked on the switch, only to see Vernon sitting on his favorite chair. He wasn't moving, eyes widened in fright, his face red and blustering, not even making a sound. It looked like he'd been tied to the chair, except that there was no rope to be seen.

"Hello, Tuney." She freezes upon hearing that voice, before turning to the one that owned it. "Long time, no see. Have a seat."

One suddenly appeared behind her, and moved forward enough for her to fall back into it. Severus Snape sat there, calmly drinking his tea, while she evaluated things. Growing up, that boy had always been a sniveling little freak, until he grew up and became a _**big**_ sniveling freak. Her sister had been friends with such a dark wizard? She didn't know how powerful he was, but he had an air of danger about him, only made worse by how calm he was being at the moment.

"Tell me something, Tuney. What does being a parent entail?" Severus asked, nonchalantly. "I myself have never had children, you see, but I could have sworn that Albus gave you explicit instructions on _**how**_ to _**care**_ for the child he left with you."

She said nothing, knowing she had not treated the Potter boy as her own. She'd handed him off to Mrs. Figgs when he needed changing, only feeding him when he wouldn't stop crying otherwise, and even that was leftovers from her Duddykins. They'd let Dudley have two bedrooms, but gave the boy the cupboard under the stairs. They'd made him clean their house, cook all their meals, and be their servant, but Dudley hadn't had to do so much as a single chore. What would her sister say if she could see the way she'd treated her son?  
"You see we've come to the crux of the matter, don't you, Tuney?" Severus asked, leaning forward on the couch to rest his forearms against his knees, a long bit of parchment in his hands. "Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse, was kind enough to put this together for me. Do you know what it is?"

She remained stubbornly silent.

"Every student is given a scan of sorts, when they go to the infirmary, to determine the severity of the injury. Often times, it picks up things it wasn't originally looking for. An allergy to peanuts, an old injury that never really healed right, perhaps even a hormonal imbalance." Severus continued, as if he really didn't need her response. "Potter had an incident earlier in the year, leading to a visit to the infirmary. So, you can imagine my surprise at receiving this, as is part of my duties as Head of House. It lists every injury, scar, broken bone, burn mark, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency. I would actually be impressed with Potter's ability to get into trouble, if I didn't know why this list was so extensive. I wonder what the Wizarding world would do if they discovered the savior of their world was being abused at home, hrm? Did Lily ever tell you about Azkaban? Worst wizarding prison in England, possibly the world. Potter's godfather is there, you know; Mass murderer, or so they say. The entire facility is surrounded by creatures of the darkest sort, called Dementors, that can literally suck. Out. Your. _**Soul**_. Would you like a brochure? I imagine you'll be going there soon enough, if things do not change."

She _**did**_ know about Azkaban. Her sister had told her all about it, how awful it was, what it was like for the prisoners there, and those awful creatures. She knew about Sirius Black, and that he'd murdered all those people. A freakish godfather for a freakish boy. Petunia just knew he'd be as bad as his godfather, so why did she feel so guilty when Severus Snape sat there gazing at her as if they had brunch together all the time.

"As of this moment, I have no doubt that Lord Malfoy will be working with the Ministry to remove Potter from your home. This is not the only copy of this document, so I will leave this here for you to peruse." Severus stated, standing up and dusting himself off. "I can only imagine what their reaction will be upon seeing the memory I have of Potter frantically trying to barricade the door against that whale of a man you call your husband as he tried to beat down the door. I am hard pressed to think of what could elicit such anger from your husband, or such terror from your ward. No need to trouble yourself, I can see myself out."

No sooner than he had popped out of the room, the invisible restraints lifted themselves, and they were free to get up. They quickly made sure the other was well, before looking over the parchment that Severus had left behind. It was a list of everything he'd said it was, to the patient. When put in sharp contrast like this, it looked pretty damning. Had there ever been a time where they'd treated the boy like their own? No, she realized, there hadn't been. So angry at being saddled with him, stricken with grief over losing a sister she'd never get to apologize to, she'd punished the boy for it.

"Vernon, we're going to have to talk about this." Petunia stated, shakily, as she looked over the parchment clutched in her hand. "We're going to have to decide what to do."

"What do you mean?" Vernon asked, looking like he didn't like this one bit.

"We can't pretend they don't exist anymore." Petunia replied. "We can't pretend that we can stamp out the unnaturalness anymore. It didn't work. He's going to that school. They'll _**see**_ if we mistreat him. They'll _**know**_."

"We obviously didn't do a good enough job of it, and now that freak has turned our son against us. Is that what you want?" Vernon demanded, railing against it. "We wouldn't need those wards if we didn't have that freak."

"We need those wards because I am my sister's sister. As much as we would like to blame the boy, it is because she sacrificed herself in defense of him that we must house him. Had she stepped aside, and let that mad man kill the boy, we would not be here, and I know of no good mother that would do that." Petunia pointed out, sticking to it. She hated the idea of changing her habits now, because that meant taking a good hard look at herself and realizing she wasn't in the right like she tried to tell herself she had been, but it was either that or Azkaban, and she didn't think either of them could survive that. "We're…We're going to have to be better…We're going to have to be…understanding…We may even have to…learn more of _**that**_ world, and…and be kind to the boy."

"Now see here!" Vernon shouted, but she cut him off with a look.

"You have no idea what that prison is like. Lily told me. Severus Snape wasn't joking when he talked about the creatures that could suck out your soul. Make no mistake, that man will do as promised if we don't do this, Vernon." Petunia warned. "We should have done it before, but I thought…I was angry, and bitter, and that hasn't changed, but we _**need**_ to change. The boy was all but ready to run away when we threw him in that room. We're going to have to give him a reason to stay. If we don't, we go to that prison, and our Duddykins won't have a home to come back to, you understand? You want that for him? Well?!"

Vernon looked like he was going to mutiny, but relented.

"I suppose I should take off the bars on the windows, and the cat flap out of the door." He grumbled, and paled as he thought of something. "Making nice with the boy might be harder than you think."

"…Why?" Petunia asked, knowing she was going to dread the answer. "Would it have something to do with that scenario Snape mentioned?"

"Not just that one." Vernon admitted, with a cringe.

"Oh, Vernon." She sighed, dreading the long road ahead of them.

* * *

"Oh no." Hari groaned, realizing what had happened.

"Oh no indeed." She hears, and stills instantly. Opening one eye, she peers to make sure she's seeing what she's hearing. Lucius Malfoy sits at the side of her bed, making her remember she's at Malfoy Manor. "You've been asleep for three days."

"Doesn't feel like long enough." Hari remarked, before snuggling further into the covers. "Five more minutes?"

"Unlikely. My son has been in a state of worry for the same amount of time, and you have no idea the lengths I have had to go to in order to keep him from inadvertently finding out your secret." Lucius stated, and then she was instantly awake, bolting into an upright position. "I have to admit, I've known for some time now, and let me just say, it certainly explains a lot."

"I imagine it would." Hari replied, with a snort. "So…"

"Oh, no. I'm not telling Draco, or anyone else. Watching this play out has been the most amusing thing I've witnessed in _**ages**_." Lucius informed her, before his expression turned grave. "Severus explained the situation he took you from. The muggles are now under the impression that if they don't treat you well, their son will be taken from them by their own authorities. I must ask, how is it that _**they**_ don't know? Surely they-"

"Nope. Pretty sure one of the neighbors changed my nappies. Had to get the librarian at my local school to explain puberty to me, and the whole birds and bees deal; biology classes also helped. Muggles are pretty big on biological health and hygiene now." Hari interrupted him, knowing where he was going with this.

"Which reminds me, Narcissa knows, and _**will**_ be speaking with you later." Lucius stated, firmly. "No offense to the librarian or…biology class…but there are things only a witch will be able to tell you, and I imagine the only one you've really been able to talk to is Madam Pomfrey."

"Pretty much. It's kind of nice asking her questions that would make most people blush. She doesn't even hesitate." Hari agreed, then straightened up, having had a sudden thought. "Maybe I can ask you! Madam Pomfrey couldn't tell me this one."

"I am almost afraid to know a question Madam Pomfrey could not answer." Lucius admitted, and took a bracing breath as he added. "Go on."

"Why do guys draw their todgers on everything?" Hari asked, morbidly curious about this.

"I don't believe I'm the best person for this conversation." Lucius declared, standing up quickly, before making his way to the door. "Narcissa!"

"It's not like _**she**_ can tell me, you know." Hari commented, her voice low. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a todger, and if she does, I have questions about how Draco came into being."

"Yes, Dear?" Narcissa replied, appearing at the door. She must have seen something in the man's face, and replied. "My turn then?"

"I think I'll go write a letter to Draco, ease his worries." Lucius insisted.

"Of course, Dear." Narcissa replied, diplomatically. When Lucius was gone, she turned to Hari with no small amount of curiosity and amusement. "What did you say to him?"

"Oh, I asked him why guys drew their todgers on everything, and he noped out." Hari answered without missing a beat.

"If it makes you feel any better, women have been wondering that for thousands of years." Narcissa admitted, her eyes positively dancing with amusement now.

* * *

School shopping was a frenzied thing, but if there was ever a time Hari was glad for magic, it was now. With Dobby's help, Narcissa and Hari only had to go to a couple of stores. She groans as she realizes she's already at least a day or two behind on her schoolwork. That's not something she is looking forward to, but between Draco, Neville, and Hermione, Hari figured she would be fine. With a final check over, Narcissa ushered her through the Floo and into Snape's office.

"Potter, good of you to make it." Snape stated, once both she and Narcissa had arrived. "I may finally be able to get Draco to stop climbing the walls. It should be noted that I will be accompanying you to the Hospital Wing before allowing you to resume classes."

"Well, hello to you too, Professor." Hari replied, with a nod to him. She decided to try and beat a hasty retreat to the Slytherin Common Room.

"You might want to prepare yourself before you go in there." Snape warned, but by then the door was already closing on her way out.

She was suddenly drawn up short by the staggering amount of people in the Common Room, all of whom stood up the second she entered the room. Oh. Well, he had tried to warn her. This was…This was…Hermione was rushing up to hug her, talking so fast it was hard to decipher her. Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Neville all hesitantly followed, though they didn't hug her. None of them had really understood when she'd tried to tell them what her home life was like, but now they looked at her like they knew. No doubt their Head of House had taken them aside to explain things more thoroughly, as well as making an announcement to the entire house; if she had to hazard a guess.

"I trust everyone had a pleasant summer?" Hari asked, lightly, trying to avoid the awkwardness that was creeping up.

"Pleasant summer? Pleasant summer?" Theo comments in amusement. "He spends his trapped in a cage by muggles, and he asks if we had a pleasant summer."

"Why did you stay with them when Dobby could get you out whenever you wanted?" Blaise asked.

"Because I was trying to keep the peace?" Hari offered. No one was buying that. "I was working on a permanent escape solution, and thought it would hinder my plans."

Ah, now that the entirety of Slytherin House could accept. Making plans, laying in wait, things coming into fruition, those were things Slytherin House understood as the House of Cunning. There was something to be said for a well laid plan, after all. Most of the others politely turned their attention away, though they were definitely most likely still listening in. What she couldn't figure out was why they bothered. They had made it known that not many of them liked her last year, and she couldn't figure out what had changed, which must have showed on her face.

"Slytherin take care of their own." Draco remarked, answering the question she hadn't wanted to ask. "You look like shite, by the way."

"Ugh." Hari groaned, quickly placing her hand over her heart. "You wound me, Malfoy. However will I recover?"

"Just get some sleep. We don't want the rest of Hogwarts to think we're raising you to be a slob." Draco retorted, though the uptick of the corner of his lips was a dead giveaway.

"So I can't use the dessert spoon as the soup spoon anymore?" Hari asked, innocently. "Pity."

"Those muggles…I know you said, but…If you need us to do anything, I'm sure Father would-" Draco began.

"I'll be fine. I promise." Hari assured him. "I have my escape plan in the works, and everything."

"Something we will be discussing after Madam Pomfrey has seen to you." Came the voice of their Head of House.

"He's right behind me, isn't he." Hari commented, needlessly. Draco and the others went along with it, of course, and Blaise just made a so/so gesture with his hand, while Hermione just shook her head at her.

"Come along, Potter." Snape stated, sounding not in the least bit amused by the whole scene, and made his way to the door. "Best to get this over with."

"If we have to, Sir." Hari replied, a bit subdued, and followed after him.

* * *

It was just as he'd suspected, and Poppy had fussed over the girl, all under the pretense of his not knowing anything in regards to that particular tidbit. Hari kept objecting that she was fine, but didn't try to stop Poppy from doing anything, not that she would have succeeded in that regard. Poppy was a force all her own, and not even Albus could get away for long. As it was, even he himself could not escape her keen eye for long, though he did hold the record for doing so. There was actually a bet going on how long any of the professors could manage it, even a few on how long some of the students could stay out of the hospital wing for various maladies. Poppy's counter bets were how soon she could nab the professors into their checkups.

"Now that Poppy has finished fussing over you, you can tell me about these plans of yours." Severus stated, arching an eyebrow as he looked over to her.

"I could. I have the physical capability, and everything." Hari replied, and then tapped her chin with the tip of her finger. "Having a hard time finding a reason to do so, however."

"Cheeky brat." Severus remarked, with a muffled snort. "Narcissa suspects you're planning to run away, and now that you've confirmed it in the common room, word will get back to her."

"Note that I said escape plan, not running away." Hari pointed out. "A backup plan in case whatever it is she's planning fails, or takes too long."

"How do you know she's planning something?" Severus asked, and the girl had the nerve to mimic his signature eyebrow raise at him. "Rude."

"Not wrong though." She countered.

"Fair enough. Try to keep the planning down to a minimum, or at least be discrete about it while here." Severus advised. "The portraits will talk if you don't. And Potter? Do try to keep out of trouble this year, hrm?"

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was trying to catch her up on all the work she'd missed, but all the girl kept doing was gushing about Gilderoy Lockhart. Hari could tell that the guys in their year were already tired of it, but the girls were mostly gooey eyed. Hari didn't really see the appeal. She'd gone over a few of his books, after grumbling about having to buy the whole lot, and she just couldn't see how he'd done all that stuff. He wasn't even that good looking, but the way Hermione acted, it was like the man was the next coming of Merlin.

It was nice to get back into the swing of things though, as they had Herbology that day. While Professor Sprout did ask Hari to stay after class, mainly to ask after her when no one was within earshot, but otherwise didn't treat her any differently. Same thing happened with Professor McGonagall's class, but everything went downhill after lunch. There was a smaller Gryffindor boy who kept trying to corner her, but unlike last year, she had a legion of people willing to kindly distract the boy. Apparently, he was a budding photographer, and wanted to take her picture. Later, when she hears that he managed to get a shot of Ron crashing into the Whomping Willow with Fred and George in their dad's flying Ford Angela, she will trade a picture of herself for a copy of that.

* * *

The first time they have D.A.D.A. after Hari gets back, Glitterwart (_because Draco refused to call him Professor_) Locktart zooms in on Hari Potter like a piranha. Draco was more than used to people like Lockhart trying to cozy up to him to take advantage of his father's wealth and status. Potter had not had such an upbringing, and so even though Granger refused to believe that a professor would try to take advantage of a student that way, **_all_** of Slytherin 2nd year would become a literal blockade whenever the man tried to get near him. After that disaster of a class with the cornish pixies, they weren't trusting that man with anything more dangerous than spellotape, and maybe not even that. Draco had another reason for sticking so close to Potter this time, and when he tries to wake him up, he nearly gets punched in the face for his troubles when Potter rolls over to burrow into the covers.

"Bloody hell, Potter, wake up. Flint stuck his head in here five minutes ago, and I said I'd wake you." We've got practice!" Draco grumbled, shaking the boy again.

"You're on the team?" Potter asks, sleepily, and then bolts up shouting. "You're on the team!"

"Come on, hurry up, or I'll never tell you what position I got." Draco threatened, though it lacked any heat to it whatsoever.

Hari Potter in the mornings is something of an amusement to see. As much as he is used to being up early in the morning for whatever it is those muggles have him do everyday, Hari Potter is not a morning person. He pretty much functions on autopilot for the first little bit, but when Draco is sure he isn't going to crawl back into bed if he turns his back, he heads over to his bed so that he can get ready too. No one is really awake when they gather in the common room, but they all head down to the pitch, and Draco groans when he sees that the Gryffindor team is already down there. Now Flint is bound to start something.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed. "This is our practice time. Bugger off!"

"Plenty of room for all of us, Wood." Flint replied, calmly. Flint wasn't really a morning person either, and Draco is pretty sure the older Slytherin boy is only awake out of sheer stubborn will and the near constant morning practices of years past.

The situation devolves from there. The Gryffindor Captain looks murderous, as he vehemently fights against Flint's reasons for being there. Special permission from Professor Snape meant nothing to the Quidditch mad Gryffindor Captain. The rest of the team didn't seem to care, or weren't really awake enough to care, and are content to watch the drama unfold between the two captains. It is only Hari stepping in between them, when it looks like they are about to come to blows, that wakes them all up.

"What about a small game?" He asks. Both Flint and Wood look like they would rather mutiny first. "Come on. None of us are awake, it's way too early for this, and both teams have booked the field. We can play a safe game, with the moves we've already seen from each team, without giving anything new away."

Flint regards Potter for a moment, looking like he's actually considering the idea, but replies. "Not a bad idea, Potter, but we can't this time. We've got to train up Malfoy as the new Chaser, and the team needs to get used to flying on the new brooms Malfoy's father bought the team when he sent word home that he'd made the team."

Draco wasn't sure how it happened. Everything was going well. Teasing Weaselbee because he'd crash landed into the Whomping Willow with his brothers in that ridiculous contraption, making fun of them being poor; he may be sort of friends with Potter now, but it wasn't like he'd had a personality transplant or anything. He tried to tone it down when Hari glared at him when he reminded him that being heavy handed with his words in such a way was not very Slytherin. He knew Hari was only really saying that because he was making fun of Weaselbee. A fight breaks out because Fred and George feel the need to defend their family honour, and Hari only just manages to pull him from the fray, but not before he's hit with a spell that has him puking up slugs. Isn't that just peachy.

* * *

AN: I'm so sorry! Things have been so crazy, and I'm totally blaming 2020 for everything! lol


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